Two Worlds
by Sarafina Knowles
Summary: Firestar's life as leader is going smooth; too smooth, in fact, because he's, well... bored. But what happens when his life is jolted as he discovers a mysterious puddle that links him to another world... where all who were thought dead are still alive?
1. Nice and Easy

**Two Worlds  
A/N: Hello, and if you're reading this, that means you are checking out my most recent warrior cat fanfic. This one, as you might have noticed in the summary, deals with topics way beyond normal Warrior cats, so it's going to get really interesting. This chapter is THE shortest I've ever uploaded, but I'm trying to cut back on my many-worded chapters, since it's an awful lot. Now, this story takes place after "The Darkest Hour" and before "Firestar's Quest", so keep that in mind.**

And with that, I wish you happy reading!  


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Chapter One: Nice and Easy 

Firestar gazed up at the sky. It was a cool day, one in between the transition of New Leaf to Greenleaf. A breeze ruffled Firestar's blazing flame-colored pelt, and he slowly stood, shaking himself, and bounding down from the High Rock, where he had been watching his Clan contentedly.

His paws silently landed on the ground of the clearing where ThunderClan gathered when he called them. Firestar twitched his tail and his green eyes glanced around, but there was something wrong.

Firestar sighed and decided to go see where Sandstorm was, if she wanted to go on a hunt with him.

As ThunderClan's leader, Firestar expected things to be exciting all the time- new challenges, new dangers, and new adventures at every turn. But he had been mistake.

Three moons ago, the four Clans had united against the most deadly enemy they'd ever faced before: Scourge and his many decrepit followers of the group he'd mockingly called Blood Clan. A battle had been unleashed, and more blood had been spilled than Firestar had ever imaged possible.

Their losses tallied up to a waveringly bitter amount: they had lost Whitestorm, the very wise and respected deputy to ThunderClan, and that had been huge to them. Not to mention all the scratches, wounds, claw-marks, and serious injuries taken with the war.

But Firestar had managed to pin down Scourge, the murder of Tigerstar, the ruthless and cold-blooded leader of BloodClan, and the closest thing to evil the forest had ever known. Firestar had used Scourge's single weakness against him: Scourge had only one life while Firestar, a leader guided by StarClan, had eight. So Scourge was destroyed, and BloodClan chased off after seeing their supposedly flawless leader get killed.

After that, Firestar had been pretty busy mending the deep... well, scourges... put in his Clan after that war. But time is the best healer of all, and after three moons, the blood had washed away from the battle site, and the wounds had healed. The only thing that was really scarred was Firestar's mind, for he would often still shudder at night when the looming face of Scourge seemed to be in front of him.

But after the aftermath of BloodClan had lessened and cats were beginning to forget the sharp, harsh details, things slowed down. Nothing had happened since BloodClan.

Of course, there were the usual small things- new kits, apprentices, and warriors littered the vast amount of Clan cats now, and the seasons had changed. There were friends and hunts and patrols and the occasional small squabble at a Gatherings or at Clan border lines. But nothing truly interesting.

To be completely and utterly frank, Firestar was becoming a little... well, bored.

"Firestar!" came a sudden cry.

Firestar whipped around and his eyes narrowed when he saw the sunhigh patrol trotting towards him: it was Thornclaw, Brackenfur, and Mousefur.

He waited eagerly for them to tell their leader what had happened on their patrol. Dogs? Hostile Clan cats? A rather large and strange piece of prey?

"Yes?" he asked, able to keep his voice calm. "What happened?"

Brackenfur, who was leading the trio, strode up to Firestar and paused, exchanging a confused glance with Mousefur. "Er- nothing."

Firestar's face fell. "Nothing? Nothing at all? All normal?"

Thornclaw, who looked curiously at Firestar, nodded. "All normal. The borders are fine."

"No scent of WindClan?"

"Er- no," Brackenfur meowed, brow raised.

"No dogs?"

"No," Brackenfur continued, looking a little concerned.

"No bones? No scent of sickness?" Firestar went on, feeling stupid but unable to help a desperate note creep into his voice.

"Firestar, we saw nothing. It's all clear- isn't that good?" Thornclaw asked impatiently.

Firestar flicked and ear, taking a quick breath. "Of course it is. Good work," he said shortly, flicking his tail, and muttering to himself, "ShadowClan... they've been quiet for too long... might be brewing something..."

Thornclaw and Brackenfur exchanged looks and padded around their leader, but Mousefur stayed, a coy look on her face. Firestar glanced at the dusky brown she-cat. "What?"

"You know... wishing for something to happen doesn't mean it'll come true," she said mildly.

Firestar flushed and tried to maintain his air of importance over his warrior, but his chest deflated and he shrugged. "Yeah... I know. I'm just a little-" He caught himself quickly, feeling furious.  
He was the _leader,_ for crying out loud! He couldn't go whining to his warriors! _What_ would they think of him?

But Mousefur just twitched her whiskers. "It's alright. Everyone has dry spells. Even the seasons." With that, she padded away and left Firestar standing there, blinking.

He shook himself again, and sighed.

"Firestar?"  


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**There you have it, not terribly exciting, but I promise things pick up in Chapter 2. So tell me if you want to see more, reviews are always warmly welcomed and repaid with chocolate cupcakes. :D**


	2. The Discovery

**Chapter Two: Discovery**

Hi again! Let me tell you, I got a real kick of seeing some familiar names in the review bar- so hi to old friends who decided to check out my new fic! lol

Now, back on topic. When I wrote this story, I risked making Firestar seem annoying and out-of-character, because how could a leader get bored, right? So hopefully he's not too different for you guys to still enjoy the story...

And I've totally forgot my disclaimers for ages, so let me go ahead:

Disclaimer: I own nothing and never will!!!

Firestar whirled around, and relaxed immediately.

"Sandstorm!" he purred, padding over to her and butting his head against her affectionately. "Just the cat I wanted to see!"

"Really?" the pale tabby asked dubiously, flicking her tail.

"Yes- I was wondering if you wanted to go on a patrol with me and-"

"Oh, Firestar," Sandstorm meowed, flattening her ears. "I'm sorry, but I have to go train Sorrelpaw. You know how important it is to me," she added, touching her tail to his flank.  
Firestar sighed again. It was really his fault that Sandstorm was so intent on getting her training for Sorrelpaw just right- Sorrelpaw was her first apprentice because of Firestar's past decisions, and he knew he ought to respect her determination. All the same, he wanted to take some time off with her.

"Yes, of course. Well, alright then..."

Sandstorm purred and gazed at him, green eyes bright. "Don't worry, I'll spend time with you later," she rasped, cuffing him over the head fondly with a paw. "See you, furball," she meowed over her shoulder, trotting away.

Firestar smiled just slightly before feeling his shoulder slump. What did he want to do now? There wasn't a lot... He supposed that he could go on a patrol with another cat...

Swinging around, Firestar decided to go visit Cinderpelt. So he loped across the clearing, stopped several times by his warriors (wondering about patrols and hunts and apprentices) before managing to shake them and slip into the dark, cool den of the medicine-cat.

"Cinderpelt?" he murmured, and there was a flash of blue eyes from the back of the den, and suddenly a gray she-cat limped over to Firestar, looking surprised.

"Firestar!" she beamed. "What are you doing here?"

Firestar blinked at her as she backed off, limping. "What do you mean? Are you busy?"

"No, mousebrain, you're always welcome," she told him, chuckling. "It's just that you are the leader, and leaders are usually busy."

Firestar realized he had no answer to this, so he just shrugged and sat down as Cinderpelt went back to sorting her herbs. Narrowing his green eyes, he became accustomed to the darkness after a few long seconds.

"So how are you doing? I haven't visited lately," Firestar added with a touch of guilt. He had been rather busy with Sandstorm lately, really.

"That's alright, things are going smooth," Cinderpelt replied. "A little too smooth, if you ask me," she added, almost to herself.

Firestar glanced at his friend. "So you bored, too?"

Cinderpelt spun around at him. "What?" she meowed, appalled. "_Bored?_ Firestar, I'm _always_ busy- wait. You said 'too'."

Firestar felt like stuffing his tail in his mouth. "Er, yeah," he said sheepishly. "Never mind, I ought to go check on the patrols, maybe join one myself-"

"You're _bored?"_

Firestar stopped, staring anxiously at Cinderpelt. "I am certainly not!" he hissed defiantly. "I- I mean, not bored.... things are just- like you said, going too smooth. And there isn't much action-"

"We are in a time of peace," Cinderpelt said softly, forgetting her herbs as she frowned at Firestar thoughtfully. "After Scourge, StarClan promised a long time of peace. It's barely begun, and  
you are bored."

"Not _bored_," Firestar said hastily, wishing he'd never come to visit Cinderpelt in the first place. "I'm just saying, because not much is happening, it's a little dry right now. That's it. Things will pick up soon."

"Or else you'll mature," Cinderpelt observed.

"What?" It was Firestar's turn to be appalled. "I- immature? Is that what I am?"

Cinderpelt limped towards Firestar, touching her tail affectionately to his furry chest. "You're a new leader," she meowed coyly. "You expected things to be exciting all the time. And with the  
war with BloodClan, things were pretty exciting..."

Her voice trailed off pointedly, and Firestar stared at the ground, eyes narrowed.

"You know me too well," he said finally, to which Cinderpelt just chuckled.

"Possibly, possibly," she meowed, then flicked her tail to the entrance. "Find your deputy. Surely he'd want to go on a hunt with his leader?"

Firestar, feeling a bit embarrassed that his medicine-cat was suggesting things to do like he was a kit, backed out slowly and nodded before whirling out into the sunlight.

The sun's fingers stroked Firestar's pelt, and he shook himself, as if he could shake off his feelings of annoyance and frustration. He needed to get out of the camp, Cinderpelt was right about that.

Pricking his ears and glancing around, Firestar stared at the entrance, as he heard someone coming. Eventually, two cats came padding from the barrier, a burly gray tom with long hair and a dark brown tabby.

"Graystripe, Dustpelt," Firestar acknowledged his warriors, forcing himself to sound stately. Eying the dead bird dangling from Dustpelt's clamped jaws, he meowed, "You went hunting?"

"Yes, Firestar," Graystripe rumbled, grinning. "Dustpelt's just lucky though, that bird _hopped_ into his claws-"

Dustpelt dropped the bird and snorted. "As _if."_

"Well done," Firestar said hurriedly. "Ah, Graystripe, could I have a moment, please-?"

The playful glow in Graystripe's yellow eyes faded when he heard the urgency in his leader's voice, and he nodded. "Sure. Dustpelt, d' you think the elders might appreciate that?"

Dustpelt gave a slight eye-roll at being treated like an apprentice but nodded and, with a respectful flick of the tail to Firestar, trotted off with the bird.

"What's wrong?" Graystripe asked. "ShadowClan?"

Firestar sighed. "I wish." With his medicine-cat and his deputy, Firestar knew that he could be utterly frank, and reveal his deepest emotions, especially to his oldest friend.

Graystripe read him easily. "I know how you feel," he said in an undertone. "Not much going on, a dry spell... But it'll pick up, it has to, right?"

"That's what Cinderpelt told me," Firestar meowed wryly.

"So you've told the whole Clan, have you?" Graystripe asked with a short laugh.

"No... look, I know you've already hunted, but would you go out with me again? There isn't much to do here, and I need to get out..."

"Course I will," Graystripe meowed seriously, spinning around. "You go put someone in charge, and I'll wait here."

"What? Oh, right- both the leader and deputy will be gone," Firestar meowed with an embarrassed laugh as he thoughtfully wondered who to put in charge. Marching across the clearing, he saw Ashfur and Sandstorm sniffing the fresh-kill pile, talking.

As Firestar neared them, he caught snippets of what they were saying.

"-spoke to him this morning, he seemed a little out of sorts," Sandstorm meowed, with a hint of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, well, have you heard what's going around the Clan?" Ashfur murmured, cocking his head at a mouse, considering it for his meal.

"What?" Sandstorm asked, sounding nervous, which surprised Firestar as he lessened his strides, approaching slower. They had not noticed him yet.

"They're saying that Firestar's getting a little bored," Ashfur growled, glancing at Sandstorm.

Sandstorm looked startled. "You don't think he's unhappy as our leader, do you?"

"Well, if you ask me," Ashfur began, then stopped when Firestar made a point of nearing the loudly.

"Hello," Firestar said brusquely, feeling stung from their conversation.

"Firestar?" Sandstorm meowed, face carefully clean of emotion. "What's up?"

Firestar stared at Ashfur, feeling his stomach churn as the dark gray tom's words echoed in his mind. _They're saying that Firestar's getting a little bored..._

"Yes?" Ashfur meowed, flicking his tail.

Firestar shook himself, and stared at Sandstorm. "Graystripe and I are going hunting," he meowed. "I want you to keep an eye on things, alright?"

Sandstorm eyed Firestar with the merest hint of apprehension in her eyes. "I will, Firestar," she promised. "They're a bunch of kits, anyways- they'll be fine."

Ashfur chuckled, but Firestar found himself unable to muster a laugh. "Right. Well, I'll see you two later." Waving his tail dismissively, he swung around and stalked away, eyes unfocused.  
The Clan was noticing! They knew! Great StarClan...

"You alright?" Graystripe frowned upon seeing his leader so disheveled. "What were they saying?"

"Nothing," Firestar snapped, annoyed at himself for being rude to his deputy, yet unable to help it. "Let's go."

Graystripe went along with it, though, and Firestar felt a silent pang of gratefulness towards his friend for being mindful about Firestar's feelings. But as they slipped under the bracken and thorns of the barrier and padded into the heart of the forest, Firestar couldn't concentrate on their prey.

"That's the third time today!" Graystripe exclaimed when Firestar snapped a twig and sent his squirrel, which had been perfectly positioned before them, scrambling up a tree. "Did Cinderpelt slip you a poppy-seed or two in your mouse this morning?"

Firestar, immune to his friend's joke, just stared at the spot where the squirrel had just been. He shrugged and scraped at the grass with a claw.

"You need serious help, my friend," the long-furred tom decided. "Let's get your mind off things, shall we?"

"I don't really feel like a leader. I'm doing a really messed-up job, and the Clan is noticing," Firestar confessed as they began walking again, Graystripe briskly leading the way. At his friend's confession, Graystripe slowed his pace to look at Firestar.

"You are a great leader, Firestar," Graystripe told him firmly. "Don't let anything convince you otherwise. So your eye is wavering off of the prey- big deal! You'll get refocused again, get excited about being ThunderClan's leader."

"It's a very big deal," Firestar replied stubbornly.  
Graystripe just shot Firestar a half encouraging, half exasperated look before stopping in his tracks. "Is that a puddle?" he asked incredulously, bounding ahead like a rabbit.

Firestar, feeling that old flame of curiosity lick at his heart, followed suit. Several yards off, they came to a stop before a rather large puddle.

"I don't believe it!" he exclaimed. "It hasn't rained in ages!"

"This is really weird. 'Spose it's a sign from StarClan?" Graystripe suggested, padding around the puddle to look at it from all ages.

The puddle sitting below the canopy of trees and bracken and bushes, was right in the center of the path that so many cats had tread before them. Firestar rather thought that it didn't look like a normal puddle- it was water, certainly, but different somehow. The surface was silver and had a too-smooth texture to it, and even though the two toms had bounded around it and disturbed the ground, the puddle had no ripples in it at all. It sat dead, eerily still.

"We should leave it alone," Firestar meowed, his voice sounding odd to his ears. The forest was quiet, and he felt uneasy when gazing at the puddle.

"Blimey, Firestar, look!" Graystripe said suddenly, apparently ignoring his leader's advise, as he towered over the puddle. "Firestar!" he meowed again, sounding excited.

"What?" Firestar growled.

"There's no reflections!" Graystripe whispered.

Shocked, Firestar crept forward and peered into the puddle. Sure enough, when he gazed into it, he saw no flaming red head gazing back, and neither did he see Graystripe's furry head in the reflection. No trees, no sky, nothing else reflected it, either. It was blank.

"Graystripe, let's go," Firestar hissed, feeling cold quite suddenly.

"Look!" Graystripe meowed, voice low, and eyes wide. Feeling annoyed, Firestar grudgingly peered into the water again, tentatively. Narrowing his eyes, he realized that the blank face of the puddle was gone, and it was reflecting things... but wait.

Firestar glanced around, jaw hanging, and then looked back at the pool. They didn't match! The reflections in the puddle were acting of their own accord! They were getting bigger... something was nearing Firestar...

"Graystripe, come on!" Firestar snapped, his fur bristling. He itched to get away, but he felt locked in place, mesmerized by the puddle.

"Firestar," Graystripe croaked. "Look."

For the final time, Firestar looked to where Graystripe was pointing, and his eyes widened in shock.

Swimming under them, in the mysterious silver pool, was the face of Silverstream.

**Dun dun DUN! Little cliffhanger there... tell me if you like how it's going! Update pretty soon, but I gotta warn you, today is the 16th of August, and, for me and every other Princeton kid, the last day of summer.**

(I know, I just want to shoot whoever cut out summer so short!!!)

So you know what THAT means... homework, tests, studying, friends calling, chores, learning more crap to just forget when next summer arrives (lol)... and, sadly, not a bunch of time to write. So I'll try to keep updating on a steady basis, but I'm just warning you all. So see ya!


	3. The Second World

**Hi everybody! It feels like ages since I've uploaded, and I'm sorry if anyone got bored waiting for chapter three, I've been fricken busy with school! :( I swear, it's not even Labor day yet... *ah hem* But THAT is a different story, let's focus on this one for the moment... ;P**

So sorry to everyone who's come to hate my dramatic cliffhangers, or hate me for doing them, or both.... lol But here's what happens, and yes, Graystripe, being the adorable dingbat, will touch the puddle.... I wonder what will happen? ;)

Chapter Three: The Second World

"Silverstream?" Graystripe whispered, voice blank.

Silverstream's beautiful, slender head gazed at Graystripe, and seemed to be talking, but Firestar could not hear anything.

"Silverstream!" Firestar didn't like the longing in Graystripe's voice, and as shocked as he was to see a dead cat looking at them from a puddle, he felt his unease creeping up even faster.

Graystripe's paw twitched, and he slowly lifted it, reaching towards the puddle.

"Graystripe, no!" Firestar said sharply. "We don't know what this is about!"

"It's StarClan, Firestar! Nothing's wrong!" Graystripe meowed in a faint voice, gaze locked with that of his dead mate's.

But as Firestar stared at Silverstream's hauntingly beautiful face, he knew that this was not StarClan's doing. It was different, much different.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Graystripe meowed, eyes unusually bright, as he reached forward, ignoring Firestar, and touched the surface of the puddle.

At once, Firestar was falling, suspended in mid-air, and tossing around like a dead mouse. He let out a screech, feeling wind rip at his face and fur. He was tumbling down, everything around him was white, a blinding white, and yet he had the funniest feeling that he was underwater...

Suddenly, a gray blur appeared next to him, and Firestar gasped. "Graystripe!" he shouted, but then coughed, gagging, as he swallowed a mouthful of water. But there was no water... he felt like he was in the air, and yet that was certainly water he had just swallowed...

As fast as the odd scene appeared, it was gone, and Firestar found himself slammed into something soft and fresh-smelling, and a loud thud next to him meant that Graystripe was with him.

Aching all over and feeling a hundred years old, Firestar slowly fluttered his eyes open.

"Graystripe?" he croaked, coughing up water and choking, flipping over and trying to sit up. He was shaking all over, and he felt winded.

"Wh- what in StarClan-" Graystripe said hoarsely, voice cracking, as he, too, coughed up water. The two toms shakily looked around, and Firestar's eyes widened.

They were in the most beautiful place he'd ever seen. It was hilly and grassy, like WindClan turf, but much more beautiful and lush. The land went on for miles, as long and flat as a stream, and the sky was a brilliant shade of blue, with fluffy white clouds thrown in for good measure.

Everything was bright and good-smelling, and a soft breeze rippled Firestar's flame-colored pelt.

But something extremely odd was the fact that Firestar could see no other cats. It was lonely, completely vacant of anyone else.

"What's going on?" Firestar breathed, feeling rigid with shock.

"Where's Silverstream?" Graystripe asked frantically, looking around wildly.

Firestar suddenly remembered how they had gotten there, and glared furiously at Graystripe. "I told you not to touch that puddle!"

"I had no idea what it would do!" Graystripe retorted hotly, eyes still flicking around for his long-dead mate, and his face fell as he sank into the ground, looking miserable. "But I'm sorry."

Seeing his friend so unhappy melted Firestar's anger, and he padded over to touch his tail to Graystripe's furry flank. "I'm sorry for shouting," he mumbled.

Graystripe shrugged, and, fur pressed against each other for reassurance, gazed at this new, terribly beautiful world in fear. "What do you think happened?" he asked in a low voice.

Firestar blinked, racking his mind for any possible reason why this would happen. "Well.... I'm not sure." He felt stupid as the words spilled from his mouth, and flattened his ears.  
"Hello," came a voice.

Feeling yet another wave of shock, Firestar whipped around, and he gaped.

"Bluestar?" Graystripe asked incredulously.

Indeed, the blue-gray queen was staring at Firestar and Graystripe, ice-blue eyes fond. It was the queerest thing- sitting in the middle of nowhere, after falling from a mysterious puddle, to see their dead leader standing before them, looking young and proud.

"B- Bluestar?" Firestar choked, fur bristling. "What's going on?"

Bluestar blinked at Firestar, and seemed on the verge of saying something before cutting across herself and meowing, "You have found us."

Staring at Firestar, he noticed that there were no stars in the dead queen's fur. In fact, she wasn't wispy or glowing at all, not like cats from StarClan. It was the real Bluestar, living and breathing, gazing down at them.

"_What's going on?_ Where's Silverstream?" Graystripe demanded, leaping up to flank Firestar as they stared apprehensively at Bluestar.

"You will find Silverstream soon enough. It was she who let you in, correct?" Bluestar meowed, curling and uncurling her tail.

Firestar was still staring at her in shock, and shakily nodded.

"Th- there was a puddle," Graystripe began.

"And we were falling, but there was water-" Firestar added faintly.

Bluestar swept her tail at them for silence, and they quited immediately, minds spinning with confusion.

"Are we in StarClan? We're dead?" Graystripe whispered.

"You are not in StarClan, and you are very much alive," Bluestar corrected him, voice patient as if explaining a certain hunting move to an apprentice. "As am I, and everyone else in this world."

"_This_ world?" Firestar echoed.

"Everyone else?" Graystripe croaked.

"You remember your old world, the one where you just came from?" Bluestar asked.

Firestar and Graystripe nodded vaguely.

"But you... you can't be alive!" Graystripe choked, apparently following his own line of conversation. "You're dead!"

"Am I?" Bluestar asked softly, blinking. "Oh, I am dead in your world?"

"Yes," Firestar murmured, eyes narrowed.

"Ah," Bluestar meowed with a shrug, apparently at a lack of interest to learn this. "Well, that makes sense... How did I die?"

Firestar blinked and exchanged a look with Graystripe. "Er-"

"Don't answer that, it was a rhetorical question," Bluestar murmured, chuckling. "It's so good to see you two again... I'd almost forgotten... But we've been expecting you for a long time now."

"Have you?" Firestar blinked again.

"Yes, Redheart," Bluestar agreed.

"What?" Graystripe asked softly.

Firestar stared at Bluestar warily. "My name is not Redheart," he said cautiously. "I am Firestar, your old apprentice."

"Of course, forgive me, I do forget faces," Bluestar rumbled, shaking herself. "Come with me, Firestar... Graystripe, isn't it?"

"Y- yes," Graystripe stammered.

Bluestar nodded and began padding away. Firestar, exchanging a wild look with Graystripe, followed her.

"There are several worlds, you know," Bluestar began as they tread over the lush green grass. "Different dimensions, different situations, and all are connected, and yet all are very different."

Firestar's heart was thudding in his chest. "How many... dimensions... are there, then?"

Bluestar laughed. "Always asking questions, weren't you, Firestar?" she meowed. "I do not know, but there are many. Hundreds, thousands... we are not meant to know the answer to everything, Firestar."

"So this world is different from ours?" Graystripe asked faintly.

Bluestar nodded. "Extremely different. I think you will find... that the cats in your world that are dead... are alive in this world."

Firestar stared at her, thunderstruck. He could smell shock wafting off of Graystripe in bursts. "What?"

"I am alive, don't you see?" Bluestar urged him, blue eyes narrowed. "There are many cats waiting for you, too. Cats you loved that are gone."

Firestar's whole body tingled. He could hardly believe it! This was amazing!

"But why are we here?" Graystripe meowed.

"That is an excellent question," Bluestar said, but her eyes had darkened. "It is all complicated, and... more will be revealed as you go along."

Frowning and more confused than ever, Firestar decided to push away his burning curiosity. "The puddle, back in our world," he finally asked. "Is it one of the connections you spoke of?"

"Yes!" Bluestar whispered, sounding pleased. "Yes, it is, very nice, Firestar... You see, Silverstream and I placed it there... we knew that the time had come."

"What time?" asked Graystripe.

Bluestar gazed at him, eyes gleaming, and Firestar suddenly felt a chill of forbidding. "For you two to return to us."  
**  
No way! Another cliffhanger???!!!! SHOOT THIS AUTHOR!!! XD XD XD Yes, I'm afraid so... maybe it's my mood playing up... Ah, anyways. I'll update soon, hopefully... if school does not get in the way, that is... *grrrr!!!!*  
**


	4. No Answers

**Welcome back, everyone, and you yet again have my sincerest apologies if this upload took me too long... and all my dear readers who shot me... XD**

Okay, this is to the reviewer Spottedshell, since I couldn't find a way to PM you: Yes, there is a ghost in my house. His name was Mr. Turner, and he shot himself when he was really old, since he was sickly and lonely. He's a pretty cool ghost, though, so I don't find him TOO alarming.

To those of you who are terribly confused about why we're talking about ghosts, check out my reviews page.

Alright, thanks for reading, and luv you all!

Chapter Four: No Answers

Shaking himself, Firestar tried to maintain his calm. He knew Bluestar, loved her like a mother, and yet this was all so strange. This world's Bluestar was not the one he knew and trusted.  
And as beautiful as everything was, there was something about it...

"What do you mean by that?" Graystripe demanded.

Bluestar smiled pleasantly down at Graystripe. "I mean what I mean."

Feeling utterly lost, Firestar decided to change the subject. "Why couldn't you remember me earlier?" he asked in a forced voice.

Bluestar blinked rapidly at him, and swiped a tongue around her jaw. "All in time...."

Feeling frustrated, Firestar stared ahead of him, eyes slit. "Alright, then, don't answer," he growled in a tone he would have never used with the real Bluestar. "Is there a StarClan in this world?"

"No."

Graystripe and Firestar stared at her, startled.

"There- there isn't?" Graystripe meowed, sounding beside himself with confusion. "Then what happens to the cats that die?"

"They simply stop existing," Bluestar rasped.

"But that makes no sense," Firestar growled. "If a cat dies here, then what happens to them in my world?"

"They are two separate worlds," Bluestar reminded him. "A cat dies in your world, they start existing in this world. If a cat dies in this world, they just stop existing."

"That makes no sense!" Firestar said again, becoming impatient.

"I know," Bluestar sighed. "I know."

"Then who is still alive here?" Graystripe demanded.

"Oh, all of the recent cats... you see, a cat survives here for decades and decades... only the ancient cats, like Thunderstar and all of them, have stopped to exist."

Firestar's mind was still struggling to wrap itself around this ridiculous concept. "So cats die in my world," he stated. "Then they begin to exist in this world. And after a long time, they stop existing from both of our worlds?"

"Exactly," Bluestar nodded. "It's a powerful cycle... all the worlds are connected in the most precise, complex ways, and a single event in one world can create an upheaval in another world.  
You just never know."

Firestar was shivering from all the information being dumped on him. "What about Clans?" he asked. "Medicine-cats? Borders? Gatherings?"

"What is a medicine-cat?" Bluestar meowed, frowning.

Graystripe gaped at her, and looked quickly at Firestar.

This was certainly becoming an interesting day.

"You wouldn't need a medicine-cat," Firestar said slowly. "Because there is no StarClan here."

"I don't believe this," Graystripe meowed, eyes wide.

"So you are just one big Clan? All cats, no matter what Clan they came from in my world?" Firestar asked.

"Yes, we have no differences," Bluestar meowed.

"So what happens in this world? Do you hunt?"

"We need no food, because we do not get hungry," Bluestar replied.

Graystripe looked appalled at the thought of no food. "What about us?"

"You will find that you are not hungry," the blue-gray queen replied.

Firestar blinked and glanced at his stomach, and then remembered something very important. "What about my old world?" he demanded. "Won't they miss me?"

Bluestar gazed at Firestar. "In your world, time has paused," she said softly. "But if you decide to come with us... to stay here... then in your world, they will all think you were killed."

Firestar stared at her, thunderstruck. "_What? _Why would I want to stay here?"

Bluestar gazed sadly at Firestar. "I think," she said quietly, "that you will understand very soon."

Puzzled, Firestar kept staring at her, when suddenly voices began to rise.

Slowly looking over, Firestar's eyes widened. They had walked quite a ways, even though Firestar felt that they had walked only a few feet, and a little ways off were thousands of cats, all talking and laughing and sleeping. Firestar searched the faces of the crowd hungrily, feeling his stomach jolt as he dared to believe...

There! The slightly squashed face of Yellowfang! She was here! She was here! Firestar grinned as he continued looking at the crowd. He recognized so many other faces... Redtail, Lionheart, Brindleface, _Whitestorm_... And farther off, a group more familiar cats. Terrifying memories of the fire flashed before Firestar as he saw Patchpelt and Half-Tail, now looking young and happy, who were two victims of the blaze. A little ways off, Swiftpaw, who had been slain by the dogs that ravaged the forest moons ago, was playing with an apprentice from a different Clan.  
There wasn't just ThunderClan. Stonefur of RiverClan was sitting next to his father, Oakheart, who was talking to Crookedstar, the old leader of RiverClan. There were some dusky brown warriors racing each other that had to be WindClan, and Firestar was able to recognize the long-dead leader Raggedstar talking to Cinderfur and Dawncloud, two old ShadowClan warriors that helped him drive out Brokenstar all those years ago.

Graystripe was staring, flabbergasted, at the huge group of cats who he thought dead, and Firestar made himself tear his gaze away, looking at Bluestar. "Bluestar," he said quietly. "What about... about the dead cats that... that were evil in my world?"

Bluestar glanced at Firestar, eyes flickering. "I have heard tales of cats like Tigerstar, Brokenstar, Clawface, and Darkstripe. Firestar, when they died, they were not allowed into this world. They were destroyed immediately."

"So their only souls exist in... in the Place of No Stars, in my world?"  
Bluestar shivered suddenly, and Firestar knew it had nothing to do with the breeze.

"I know of that place," she whispered. "I have been shown fleeting images... when our worlds touch, like how you managed to find a way into this world, we see things... and we have seen that place. Yes, Firestar, once an evil soul is killed, they do not go on to anything but nothingness."

Feeling more than a little confused but reassured, Firestar nodded and looked back at the cats milling about, their words bubbling and overlapping so that it seemed like loud murmuring from here. "Can we... can we go down?"

Bluestar smiled softly at him. "Go," she told Graystripe and Firestar, who immediately trekked down the hill, mesmerized by the cats before them.

Seeing them all, the cats who Firestar's grieving heart had lost once before, was overwhelming. It was a thrill and a haunting shock at the same time. It was most unlike seeing their souls in

StarClan- because here, they were real flesh and blood, unharmed and untouched, perfectly healthy.

As Graystripe and Firestar descended the hill, Bluestar gazing down at them proudly, all of the cats grew quiet, and thousands of pairs of eyes flashed towards them. Most of the cats looked startled, but some looked pleased, and others confused. Firestar did not recognize some of them- for he knew that a few of these cats were from a time before Bluestar, the ones that were next to vanish forever, the cats of old.

"Hello," Firestar finally said, blinking.

"Graystripe? Oh, Graystripe, it worked!" came a cry, and suddenly a beautiful, slender silver she-cat burst from the tight group of cats, and Firestar knew it was Silverstream.

"Silverstream?" Graystripe gasped, locked in place, as his beloved mate rushed up to him and began covering Graystripe with licks, her purrs rising wildly, and soon Graystripe was purring as well, entwining his tail with hers.

There were murmurs from the cats, but no one else moved forward. They all seemed as startled to see the flame-colored tom as Firestar was to see them.

But there came a gentle voice, and a sweet scent wreathed around Firestar that made him want to fall asleep, burying his face into that fur...

"Firestar?" the soft voice meowed, and the crowd, whispering and muttering, slowly parted to reveal a beautiful tortoiseshell she-cat, gazing at Firestar, with sunlight gently flickering over her, making her seem to glow.

"Spottedleaf," Firestar breathed, and suddenly, he forgot everything. He forgot his worries, his confusion, his frustration, everything... when he saw her face.

Slowly padding forward, Spottedleaf approached Firestar, who was rooted to the spot. Everyone watched intently as she loomed before him, her beautiful, slender body right in front of him.  
Firestar stared hungrily at her- he couldn't possibly look at her enough, he couldn't smell her enough, he wanted to press himself against her, cover her with licks-

"Firestar," she said again, voice quiet.

Firestar blinked, quickly stopping his thoughts, and burning with shame. What was he _doing?_ He had a loving mate back home... _back home..._

Back home... what was her name? Firestar wondered if he should feel scared. He couldn't remember his mate's name... what _was_ it?

But suddenly, Spottedleaf's face broke into a grin as she threw herself up against Firestar, purring madly and licking his face. "I knew you'd come home!" she breathed into his ear, and suddenly, Firestar stopped caring about whoever was back home. He couldn't remember her name... suddenly, she didn't matter. Nothing mattered. The only thing that mattered was the beautiful, graceful body before him of the she-cat Firestar had first loved... Spottedleaf, the cat he didn't have a future with...

A little voice in Firestar's mind whispered, _in the other world._

Pulling back abruptly, heart pounding, face flushed, Firestar gawked at Spottedleaf. "Spottedleaf!" he hissed. "I- we can't- you're a medicine-cat-"

"No," she murmured, amber eyes wide. "Firestar, don't you understand? In this world, there are no medicine-cats. Nothing to keep us apart."

He stared at her, shocked. "Really?"

Spottedleaf gave him a weak smile. "I would give anything for things to be different," she whispered into his ear.

Suddenly Bluestar was loping down the hill, and everyone looked to her as she flicked her tail for silence. "Firestar and Graystripe," she cried out, "have returned!"

Suddenly, a huge explosion of caterwauls and yowls and cries broke out, and Firestar, startled, looked over to see all of the cats cheering for him.

The cheering went on for several minutes, until finally Bluestar got them quieted down, and she meowed, "Alright, this meeting is dismissed, let's give these two their privacy."

**That's all for now, folks... going to the library, I'm in desperate need of a good book...**

Oh! And if anyone would like to see a favorite warrior that has been killed to show up somewhere along the line, PM me or mention it in a review, and I'll see if I can fit them in. I'm going a long ways with this story... don't worry, there will be plenty of time... :)


	5. Heaven

**Hi again! Well, this chapter's a little shorter than my normal ones, but I'm really going to update soon, unless school gets in the way... Anyways, in this chapter you are introduced to a new character... Oh, and none of this is mine, it's all Erin Hunter's!!!!**

Chapter Five: Heaven

Firestar glanced at Spottedleaf uncertainly as the many other cats began to go back to what they had been doing, and Bluestar trotted off to join the others. Graystripe, murmuring in Silverstream's ear, began walking away with her, and soon Firestar was left alone with Spottedleaf.

"D' you... d' you want to go on a walk?" Firestar suggested.

Spottedleaf smiled gently at him. "Sure," she meowed.

They began to walk across the lush grass. The sun beamed down at them brilliantly, and a gentle breeze continued to ruffle their pelts. Fur brushing slightly, Firestar found himself marveling at how beautiful Spottedleaf looked, and was unable to think of anything to say.

"Er- The sky is pretty today," Firestar said awkwardly, in a crude attempt to break the silence.

"Yes," Spottedleaf replied. "The sky is always pretty."

"Oh." Firestar blinked.

He glanced furtively at her. "Um... your eyes look pretty today."

Spottedleaf looked taken aback, but pleased at the same time. "Well, thank you, Firestar."

Firestar glanced around, fur prickling. This awkwardness was getting to him. Suddenly, his eyes fell upon a boulder. "That's a nice boulder."

Spottedleaf glanced at him, looking concerned. "Uh... yeah, it is a nice boulder, I guess."

Feeling like an idiot, Firestar nodded hastily and stared at the ground as they continued to walk in silence.

Suddenly, a white streak of fur, startlingly bright against the green grass, was bounding across the hilly terrain towards them. In a rush of ice-blue eyes and a bushy tail, a white she-cat came to a halt before them. She had a burning gleam to her eyes that indicated she was angry at something, and her ears were pricked and unusually long and thin, almost as if a pair of fox  
ears had been dipped in milk and then placed on her head.

Her lip curling, she growled, "Who is that?", glaring at Firestar. Firestar, feeling embarrassed as he shrunk under her scrutinizing gaze, felt as if her sharp words had lashed him.

Spottedleaf, with an air of slight impatience, flicked her tail-tip towards Firestar. "Firestar, this is Icefeather. Icefeather, this is Firestar." She said this in an oddly tense voice, staring almost coldly at Icefeather.

A little confused, Firestar glanced between Icefeather and Spottedleaf, practically tasting the tension crackling in the air.

"Welcome to the Second World, Firestar," Icefeather muttered.

Firestar blinked at her. "The Second World?" he echoed.

"That's what I call it," Icefeather meowed, straightening herself up and narrowing her ice-blue eyes. "A little piece of heaven, hmm?"

Spottedleaf's amber eyes were now glittering coldly at Icefeather in a way Firestar had never seen before, and it made him feel uneasy quite suddenly.

"So... I've never heard of you before," Firestar began, clearing his throat. "Are you dead in... in my world?"

"Technically, yes," Icefeather growled. "In that world, I am dead. But I never died. I came here, and I joined this... group."

Firestar stared at her. "Wait- you... you decided to stay here forever?"

Icefeather shot a dark look towards Spottedleaf. "More or less."

"So that's... I mean, if I decide to stay here.... then I will have a life like yours?" Firestar meowed.

Icefeather blinked slowly. "You don't have a choice," she said bluntly. Firestar could smell a mingled anger and fear coming off of Spottedleaf in thinly-veiled bursts, and he felt curiosity plant a seed in his heart. Clearly, there was more going on here than he thought.

"What do you mean?" Spottedleaf asked, voice forcibly calm.

"It's a great world," Icefeather meowed quietly. "To live with the cats you once thought were dead.... a miracle. You would really want to stay here no matter what. You have no choice."

Firestar laughed. "Oh, I get it." Spottedleaf hesitantly joined him, but Icefeather remained silent.

"What Clan were you in?" Firestar finally meowed, glancing at Spottedleaf.

"I had no Clan," Icefeather retorted, picking her way past him as she began to trek across the grass. "I was a rogue, and I saw a dead friend's face in that puddle... and I came here."

"You accept any cats? I mean- she's got a Clan name?" Firestar asked with surprise as Icefeather trudged away without a backwards glance or a good-bye, neither of which Firestar expected.

"Yes- she made one up for herself. And we accept any cat that is willing to stay here," Spottedleaf said softly. "Forgive her, she is... a bitter soul."

"I can tell," Firestar meowed, grinning at Spottedleaf. "So... a little piece of heaven, is this?"

Spottedleaf's face broke into a gentle smile. "That's right."

Firestar nodded as they began loping across the grass again.

After a moment's silence, Spottedleaf said softly, "Firestar, tell me... what Clan were you in? Back in the other world, I mean?"

Firestar, taken aback, swung around to look at her. "Er- okay. Well, it was-" He stopped suddenly, blinking.

He couldn't remember.

Frowning, he began to panic._ What?_ Why couldn't he remember? What as it? _What was it?_ It began with an "E", right? Or... no... was it an "R"? Or perhaps... no... a "T", right?

"I- I think...." Firestar faltered, and his furiously raced his mind. Why was this happening? Why was he forgetting?

"No matter, that is okay," Spottedleaf said soothingly, voice as silky as honey, and immediately, Firestar relaxed, wondering why he felt panicked over something like a silly name. All that mattered was Spottedleaf... yes, all that mattered.

**Uh oh... what's going on? Is this world messing with Firestar's mind? Hmm...**


	6. Empty Sky

**Ohmygod hi!!!! I'm SO glad to be back, I had an uploading error, and I had to wait a few days for it to clear up. I'm so sorry for taking a long time, anyways, and I had no idea it was working until I tried it just now! Anyways, I hope you guys can forgive me... I love fanfiction, but they SERIOUSLY get on my nerves with all these problems that keep popping up!!!  
Okay, back on topic, onto the 6th chapter... hopefully you guys remember where we left off... lol**

Disclaimer: Erin Hunter owns all this, and she deserves a truckload of cash for letting people like me mess with her stories... ;P

Chapter Six: Empty Sky

After awhile, Firestar and Spottedleaf turned around and began heading back to the others. The sky was now a beautiful array of mingled colors, shades of fiery red and burning orange and beaming gold, all strewn across the sky as the yellow disk began to sink.

"So what exactly do you do here?" Firestar meowed conversationally. He had quite forgotten about being bothered with his old Clan's name, and now felt an odd hollow pang to his stomach.

"We run, we talk, we laugh. It's a blissful place, Firestar," Spottedleaf said quietly.

Firestar swallowed. "It is a nice world... but I'd kinda like to go home."

Spottedleaf stopped suddenly, and Firestar paused, frowning quizzically at her. "What?"

"You mean... you don't want to stay?" Spottedleaf whispered, amber eyes wide.

Firestar felt a thorn of anger at himself for being so blunt stab his heart. "Look, I didn't mean it like that-"

"Don't I mean anything to you?" Spottedleaf asked in a hurt voice. "Firestar, I care about you, and I know you do, too. Here is a world where we can be together- but you don't want it?"

Firestar felt his stomach churn, and he was conflicted. For some reason... he wasn't sure why... he wanted to go back... to... the forest. It was a forest... right?

"Why can't I remember things?" he hissed, suddenly frustrated.

Spottedleaf stared at him. "You're forgetting your old life?" she murmured. "That is a good sign! Firestar, when cats come here, they begin to forget their life in the Clans... they only remember significant things, like family and names. Firestar... a cat begins to forget things here when they want to stay. You do want to stay!"

"Of course I do," Firestar said roughly. "But I- I can't abandon my- my..." He felt angry. He couldn't remember! It was all a swirling cycle... he wanted to return home, and yet he knew he wanted more than anything to be with Spottedleaf, and in wanting that, he was forgetting his old home...

"I'm a leader!" he exclaimed. "Spottedleaf, please, I- I don't think it's right."

"But of course it is!" Spottedleaf cooed, who seemed to feel better now after his confession. "Being with the cat you care most about? That's what's important. They can all move on."

Firestar blinked at her, beginning to loose himself in her amber eyes. "But... but the C- Clan..."

"Will be fine," Spottedleaf purred, curling her tail around his neck, making Firestar's knees go weak. "Come on, we need to hurry up."

Feeling confused, Firestar followed her and made his way across the hill, to where quiet voices were heard talking. The grass swayed and parted, and he saw all of the dead- that is, _alive_- Clan cats beginning to settle down.

"What are they doing?"

"We're like you guys," Spottedleaf replied, playfully flicking him with her tail. "We need rest, too!"

Firestar blinked as his green eyes swiveled over the many, many cats. He finally made out Graystripe's thick gray pelt among the bulk, and Silverstream's slender body next to him, talking.

"I need to go talk to Bluestar," Spottedleaf said unexpectedly. "You go ahead and join Graystripe."

Firestar glanced at her. "Are you sure?"

"Positive. See you later!" Spottedleaf meowed over her shoulder before bounding away, leaving Firestar alone on top of the hill. Looking around, he began to scramble down it, and finally pressed through the bulk to greet Graystripe and Silverstream.

"How are you doing?" Firestar asked his friend in a low voice.

Graystripe blinked at him for a moment, almost as if he didn't recognize Firestar, then he bowed his head. "I'm fine. Silverstream and I have been catching up for years lost." He tossed the silver she-cat a fond look, and she purred.

Firestar felt unhappy for some reason. He suspected it had something to do with the fact that Spottedleaf had left, but there was something else. He felt hollow yet giddy at the same time, but more than that, he had the nagging feeling that he was forgetting someone. The most frustrating thing was, he had no idea who it was, and no one seemed to want to tell him something. Firestar knew he should probably beware of this world, but why should be beware of Spottedleaf? Of his dead friends and Clanmates? It was just a very strange adventure, and  
Firestar told himself that he would leave soon.

"Can I talk to you?" he muttered to Graystripe.

Graystripe, who had been talking with a cat who Firestar guessed had once been RiverClan, spun around to face his friend. "About what?"

Firestar blinked. He wasn't really sure about what- he just needed to talk. Get his feelings out, share them. Otherwise, if they were bottled up, he felt like he might crack...

"Stuff," he said artlessly.

Graystripe gave him a queer look. "I'm kinda busy," he said impatiently, and turned around to talk with the cat once again. Silverstream was gone- slipped off just like Spottedleaf, Firestar guessed.

The flame-colored tom sighed and sunk into the grass. He felt so confused- this world was so beautiful, so amazing, and yet he wasn't really happy. Raking his mind, Firestar tried to place the name for what this feeling was, making his stomach churn.

With a jolt, he recognized it immediately.

_Fear._

Scared? Was he really _scared? _And of what?

Firestar closed his eyes tight. It was fine. He would leave tomorrow... yes, tomorrow, and everything would return to normal. He'd miss Spottedleaf and Bluestar... but he felt better when they were StarClan cats, instead of real-life cats.

Around him, the cats had grown quiet, and were now settled down in a variety of different positions. Most cats were huddled against each other, though Firestar did not know why. The air felt great here- it was a fantastic night, not cold, but not hot. Just the perfect temperature.

Graystripe had settled down as well, and Silverstream must have returned, because she was now sleeping against him, fur brushing. Firestar stared at them, and his thoughts flitted to Spottedleaf.

Was it really right? Just because StarClan was not here... just because he was in a different world where all cats were equal... did it make being with Spottedleaf right? And if so, why did he have this disgusted feeling in his gut, this guilty, churning feeling that things were far from being right?

Shaking himself, Firestar sighed and tried to relax. He had so many burning questions, so little answers... It wasn't making any more sense from when he first dropped here out of the sky...

Suddenly, Firestar lifted his head up and blinked.

It was silent.

There were no birds, no crickets, no frogs. No sounds touched the night air. It was silent... dead silent.

Feeling unnerved, Firestar glanced around. No on else seemed disturbed by the lack of noise, but Firestar felt his fur bristling uneasily all of a sudden.

The moon was full tonight. In his real world, it would have been a gathering. And the moon's pale, cold face glowed down at them, sending milky beams of light upon the sleeping cats, washing over their fur and making all the cats glow, making them twice as eerie, like they were ghosts.

Slowly, Firestar tilted his head up to the moon, and gasped.

The sky. It was ink-black, not a single dapple of light thrown in there. No stars touched the sky.

It was empty.

Shivering now, Firestar slowly put his head down, blinking rapidly and forcing himself to close his eyes. He felt cold and alone now, and wished more than anything he could remember his life in the first world more clearly... slowly yet surely, he was forgetting everything.

The moon continued to frown down at him as Firestar's mind raced, and he began to dream.

**There it is, I hope you liked it. This world's becoming more interesting by the chapter, wouldn't you say?**

Oh, and to my faithful reviewers who asked for some dead and beloved Clan characters to be in this story, I'm not ignoring you, it's just that I've already written a couple chapters ahead, so it'll have to be in one or two uploads until they pop up. But I am listening, thank you to all you guys, and it's not to late to anyone else who wants to see dead characters show up in this story. See ya! Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo glad to be back!!! :)


	7. Dreams

**Welcome back everyone, glad to be back.**

Firstly, I'm going to a friend's boat over the weekend, so if u PM me or review and don't get a reply, don't think I'm rude- I'm just away. :)

Secondly, I'd like to really thank my reviewer, Leafpool. I couldn't reply to you personally, but your review touched me. Thank you so much, and a huge thanks to all my other reviewers who make me feel bright and happy inside when they review. A story is always built on the response from readers, and it's really you guys who fuel me to keep on writing.

Okay, one last thing. Today is, as you probably know, September 11th, and eight years ago the Twin Towers in New York were hit down by black-hearted terrorists. I'm blessed to say that no one I personally knew perished that day, but I want to dedicate this chapter- even though Warriors has nothing to do with it- to all the lives lost, and all the families who are mourning today. I hope, somehow, that this dedication makes a change, no matter how tiny.

Now, I am proud to present to all my dedicated readers, the seventh chapter of this story.

Disclaimer: I seriously own nuthin'.  


* * *

  
Chapter Seven: Dreams

Firestar's exhausted, confused, and frustrated mind lapsed and slowed, and everything darkened in his mind as he started to fall asleep. Not before long, the hint of dreams picked at him... A blurry she-cat crying, Cinderpelt telling him to go get a life, and there was Scourge... clawing at his face, shouting mutely...

After awhile, the flickers of dreams scurried away, and Firestar found himself sitting on a cold slab of stone in front of a starry pool. With a confused frown, he glanced around, and knew he was in unknown territory.

Squinting at the pool, it only took a second for the stars to begin to tremble and quake, and then they were dancing around, singing softly, hauntingly. Little fireflies of light gently flew from the pool, sparkling and humming, and buzzed slowly around Firestar.

He laughed and watched them as they whispered in his ear, tickled his whiskers, winding around him. A quiet drum seemed to be beating as the pool frothed and rippled, even though

Firestar hadn't touch the silky surface, and soon the clear, silver pool was whirling and washing wildly, and yet not a single droplet fell out of the pool.

At last the waters slowed, and a face swam before Firestar's. Bending down, he recognized it immediately.

"Spottedleaf?" he asked in confusion.

Sure enough, the beautiful, sweet tortoiseshell was gazing out at Firestar. But though they were the same cat, this Spottedleaf looked much different from the one in the Second World. She looked more tired, unhappy, and worried, like when a queen frets over a kit that's strayed from the nursery.

"What is it?" Firestar asked the starry she-cat.

Her face looked torn, and she slowly reached up, pressing her paw against the water. To Firestar's amazed eyes, her paw seemed to be just below the pool, as if the water was really just glass, and Spottedleaf's pool was just below it.

Her eyes full of despair, she opened her mouth and cried something.

But Firestar could not hear her.

"Spottedleaf? Spottedleaf, tell me what's wrong!" he told her urgently, leaning towards the surface of the water.

Spottedleaf just shook her head and, face dark with anguish, meowed something, again and again, repeating it... a warning. Firestar realized it was a warning...

"A warning? For what? I'm fine!" Firestar bellowed, hoping she might be able to hear him.

Spottedleaf just stared at Firestar, face empty and defeated. Slowly, she shook her head, as if disagreeing with his words. Suddenly, though, she flicked and ear, and looked to her left sharply, as if someone had shouted at her. Her eyes widening, she tossed Firestar a last long look before whipping around, her tail flicking high in the air as if she were scared... she was running away...

"No! No, Spottedleaf, wait! I need to know what's wrong!" Firestar cried, but she was vanishing, and after a moment, the starry background in the water swallowed her up, and the pool's light began to fade, grow stormy...

"Spottedleaf, come back!" the flame-colored warrior shouted desperately, and, without thinking, launched himself into the pool, which was blindingly dark now. There were angry eyes in the water, and claws stabbed Firestar as he hit the surface of the water and sunk in.

Screaming, he was screaming, he swallowed water, gulped it in. The water was burning, he was on fire, it was destroying him, smoldering his skin, singing his fur, eating him-

Firestar gasped and jumped up, eyes wide, body rigid.

The sky was a pale gold now, and his heart-beat began to slow down. It was dawn... he was alive... it had all been a dream... A nightmare, really...

Shaking himself, Firestar slowly glanced around, the memories of his dream still haunting him. He could feel the agonizing burn of flames licking his face... his skin ravaged...

Around him, cats were just starting to stir, some slowly sitting up and shaking themselves, others stretching and yawning, exchanging groggy good-mornings. None of them looked scared... they all looked perfectly fine, normal... they obviously hadn't had a confusing nightmare.

"Hey," came a rough voice. Firestar twisted around to see Graystripe standing up, blinking and curving his spine as he stretched.

"Hey," Firestar muttered, sitting down and giving his ruffled chest-fur a few hearty licks.

"Did you two sleep well?" Silverstream asked.

"Like a kit," Graystripe rumbled, and Silverstream laughed.

"Alright," Firestar lied, deciding it was best to not tell everyone about his disturbing dream.

"Glad to hear it," Silverstream meowed, and yawned. "Look, I'm going to go find Crookedstar, I'd like to arrange a hike..."

"A what?" Firestar asked sharply.

Silverstream looked startled. "You wouldn't know of them... you see, it's like a long walk we take to enjoy the world..."

"But this world looks all the same," Firestar pointed out.

Silverstream's eyes narrowed just slightly, but enough to make icy claws ripple up Firestar's spine. "A hike is a hike. And there's not much else to do."

Firestar shrugged, and Silverstream darted off.

"Why do you have to be rude like that?" Graystripe demanded.

"Wha- _rude?_ Did you see how she looked at me?" Firestar exclaimed.

"Yeah, _patronizingly,_ because you're acting like a mousebrain," the furry tom growled.

"I'm just a little nervous about this whole thing! I mean, it seems almost too good!" Firestar snapped.

Graystripe was quiet, and an awkward silence enveloped the two.

After several long seconds, Firestar cleared his throat and quipped, "I'm going to go find Bluestar."

"How come?" came a voice.

Graystripe and Firestar whirled around to see a large white tom and a golden cat with thick fur around his neck approaching them.

"Whitestorm! Lionheart!" Graystripe exclaimed, grinning. "It's great to see you two!"

"We apologize for not coming sooner," Whitestorm rumbled, blinking amiably down at Firestar and Graystripe. Firestar smiled nervously back at the familiar toms. At one time, he would have  
been overjoyed to see them alive and well, but somehow, he couldn't get rid of that little feeling in his gut...

"I have to say, you turned out very well, Firestar," Lionheart purred, staring proudly at Firestar, who squirmed self-consciously under the great warrior's gaze.

"Thanks," he muttered. "Nice to see you guys."

"You seem out of it today. Are you feeling alright?" Whitestorm meowed, seeming concerned.

Firestar gulped. "Er- I had a rather nasty nightmare," he confessed.

"I had no idea!" Graystripe exclaimed, apparently offended that Firestar hadn't told him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't want to bother anyone with it," Firestar said hastily.

"Nightmare," Whitestorm murmured.

"That can't be a good sign," Lionheart rumbled.

"Dreams are funny things, you know?" Whitestorm meowed carefully, his sand-yellow eyes thoughtful. "They are like a connection to the unknown we never understood... they try to tell us things sometimes. You want to talk about yours?"

Firestar was staring at Whitestorm, frozen. Had it been real? Had StarClan been trying to contact him?

"Er... no, it's fine. I'd better get going-"

"To Bluestar?" Lionheart guessed.

"Yeah..."

"How come?" Graystripe asked curiously.

Firestar glared around at them all. They were asking too many questions, making him feel pressured under all their eyes-

"Nothing big, really. I'll be off," he meowed firmly, nodding his head in a strained way to all of them before ducking away from their intent faces.

Feeling relieved at being away, Firestar loped quickly over the grass.  
_  
ThunderClan._

It hit him like a cat clawing at his face.

He was from ThunderClan. He knew that. But he had forgotten it yesterday.

Trembling for some reason, Firestar glanced wildly around, looking for that familiar blue-gray queen. He had to get out of here... soon, before he forgot more things...

"Why, Firestar," came her voice. "You're looking for me?"

Firestar craned his neck to see Bluestar padding over to him, blue eyes swept carefully clean of emotion.

"Oh, er, yes. Bluestar, I've got something important we need to talk about."

"What's that?" Bluestar asked with an air of surprise.

Hesitating for only a second, Firestar launched in. "I want to go home."

Silence.

Bluestar stared at him, eyes wide. Her whiskers twitched, and a look of anger suddenly flashed in her eyes. But Firestar wondered if he had imagined it, because faster than a blink, it was gone, and she looked hurt.

"You don't like it here?" she meowed.

Firestar growled inwardly. _Why was everyone trying to attack him with guilt-trips?_ "I _do_ like it here, it's been... really amazing... to see everyone again. But it doesn't feel right, and I don't want to leave my Clan. I'm their leader, I can't just "die" because of my selfishness..."

"Selfishness?" Bluestar echoed, and shook her head quickly. "Firestar, staying here is far from being selfish. It's what's right, it's your destiny. You belong in this world: it's your home now."

Firestar stared at her, shocked. "_What?_"

"You belong with us!" Bluestar insisted. "Haven't you realized it? That's why we opened the connection to this world- so you could be with us. So you could be with Spottedleaf."

"Wha- _Spottedleaf?_ Bluestar, Spottedleaf- she- is not my- I don't-"

"Just stop it, Firestar," Bluestar told him, sounding disgusted. "You just don't want to admit the truth, to move on."

"_Move on? _You're not making any-"

"Spottedleaf was your first love. Your soul was meant for hers. In your world, she was killed because she wasn't your future. But here, she is alive because she can be your future. You have  
a chance to be with her!"

"But it's not right. I once loved Spottedleaf, but you're right, it wasn't my future, and it's not my future- in any world!" Firestar snarled, suddenly angry. Why wasn't anyone listening? "Now I-  
I have got a mate back home- who-" He faltered.

"Can you even remember her?" Bluestar quietly challenged. "Do you remember what the forest looks like? What squirrel tastes like? What snow feels like?"

Firestar stumbled back, mind spinning. "Of- of course I do!"

"Then tell me. What is your mate's name, Firestar?" Bluestar asked softly, eyes bright.

Firestar swallowed hard, heart thudding.

"I don't remember," he whispered.

"That is because you want to stay here!" the blue-gray queen told him. "Because a part of you wants to be here with Spottedleaf!"  
"I've already gone over this, alright? It doesn't matter if a part of me wants to stay here- I can't! I need to get back home, because I think the dream-"

"Dream?" Bluestar asked quickly, tone changing abruptly. "What dream?"

Firestar stared at her, and felt furious at himself. "Oh- nothing..."

"Tell me," she prompted, sounding forceful.

Firestar gazed at Bluestar and licked his lips. "I had a dream," he began carefully, "that I think was warning me. I think things are happening back home- or will happen- and I need to be there. Graystripe's the deputy, I'm the leader- we both can't abandon them."

But Bluestar seemed deaf to this last part- her eyes were unfocused.

"You had no dream," she said softly.

Firestar stared incredulously at her. "What?"

"You are imagining that. You had no dream. No one is trying to warn you," Bluestar whispered in a soothing voice.

Immediately, Firestar's mind began spinning, and the sharp memories of his dream... the fire, Spottedleaf's anguished face... began to blacken, to fade... Was it all fake? Had it been just a silly dream after all? Maybe Bluestar was right...

"It wasn't real," Bluestar said quietly.

And just like that, Firestar tumbled back, breathing hard.

It had all been fake. Of course Bluestar was right.

"Of course you're right," he said, but he didn't sound like himself. "Sorry... I'll just go find Graystripe now..." Firestar smiled brightly at Bluestar and spun around, bounding away.

Bluestar watched his retreating form, eyes narrowed.

**  
Oooh creepy! Well, I gotta go, my ride's here. Luv you all! Update soon! **


	8. World of Glass

**Hi everyone! If you're reading this, you're clearly ready for the eighth chapter in this story, and I'm more than ready to tell it to you.**

I'm glad to have everyone back, it was great to see some familiar names on the review bar. I'm really pleased that everyone seems to like how my story is unfolding, because I'm getting a kick out of it. Seriously, it's great being an author and reading everyone's predictions to the ending, and chuckling to myself, because I know exactly how it will end. :)

Also, I was in for a nasty shock yesterday when I tooled over to and realized that the next "Warriors" book is coming out in NOVEMBER, not SEPTEMBER, as I had assumed. So I guess I've got a while until we see what happened to the Clans after the thrilling events of _Sunrise._

Now, back on- oh, no, wait. One of my cats, White Socks, is on my lap, and she wanted to say hi to everybody. So *meows* from Socks. :)

NOW, back on topic: let's get reading!!!  


* * *

  
Chapter Eight: World of Glass

The sun had risen now, and it looked like yet another glorious day in the Second World. The lush, swaying grass seemed to be dancing to a silent song as Firestar trotted across the hills. The sun's fingers twirled over the tom's flame-colored fur and made him a blazing red dot on the endless landscape.

Next to him trotted Graystripe, looking just a little bit younger, just a little bit more happy. His long fur brushed against Firestar's, and they walked in silence.

They had decided to go on a walk together, because Firestar had a biting feeling he needed to tell his friend something. And yet when Firestar thought about it, he couldn't remember what it was. He couldn't even remember what he had done this morning. It had concerned Bluestar... and something about a dream. Or had it?

Shaking himself suddenly, Firestar allowed a sigh to escape his chest. It was strange... whenever he was around Bluestar or the other dead-come-alive cats, he felt perfectly happy and content. And yet when he began moving away from them, worries began to settle in his stomach, and he began to question why he was there.

"I-" Firestar faltered, then cleared his throat. "I think I want to- to leave."

Graystripe blinked and looked over at Firestar, shock obvious in his yellow eyes. "What?"

Firestar felt sudden fear grasp his heart, and he looked around wildly. They were utterly alone on the beautiful landscape, not a tree or mountain or cat in sight, and yet Firestar could not shake the feeling that they were being watched.

"Look," he said in a hushed voice. "Don't you think it's strange?"

Graystripe stared vaguely at him. "What's strange?"

Firestar swallowed. "I- I just... I think I'm forgetting things. And this world... it's so perfect..."

"All our dead friends and loved ones, great weather, no worries. There's nothing wrong with this world, Firestar," Graystripe said quietly.

Firestar blinked, his mind racing. Was Graystripe right? Was he being paranoid? Was everything fine after all?

"I'm just saying..."

"You're fine," Graystripe growled. "Just because you feel guilty about Spottedleaf doesn't mean you have to take me from Silverstream."

Firestar twitched his whiskers, wondering if he should be offended. "That's not it," he said, but slowly, he realized that there was some truth in the gray warrior's words. He was uncomfortable with suddenly being allowed to love Spottedleaf.

"You're lying to yourself," Graystripe pointed out, sounding lazy.

Firestar blinked, and frowned harder. "What's wrong with you?"

Graystripe gazed at him. "What?"

"You're- you're not _Graystripe_!"

"Of course I am!" Graystripe fired up.

"This world is _changing_ us, don't you see?" Firestar whispered. "I can't even remember my mate's name in the other world!"

"This _is_ the other world," Graystripe growled. "It's a miracle world. Can't you see how much Spottedleaf loves you? Why can't you understand that?"

Firestar groped for words to define how uneasy he felt. "It's a scary world," he finally meowed. "Not in the sense of frightening, just... I feel... overwhelmed. Squished. Coaxed..."

"You love Spottedleaf," Graystripe said matter-of-factly.

Firestar glared at him, frustration prickling at his heart. "The Spottedleaf _here_ isn't the Spottedleaf_ I_ know-"

"Don't change the question," the gray warrior meowed shortly.

Firestar stared at him and swallowed. "Alright," he said harshly. "Yeah, I loved Spottedleaf."

"Then here is a world where you can be with her. Be with her!"

"What about the First World, _our_ world?"

"This is our world now," Graystripe replied.

Firestar felt scared now. He was losing the real Graystripe quickly... or was he losing himself?

"You mean... you don't want to return home?"

Graystripe stared evenly at Firestar. "Silverstream is my life," he said simply. "Nothing back there is enough to make me want to return."

"How- how can you speak like that?" Firestar exclaimed.

Very abruptly, there was a flash of white across the swaying blades of green grass, and, to Firestar's shock, a snow-white she-cat was towering before them, blue eyes flashing.

They were silent for a moment before Firestar's spinning mind recognized her.

"It's Icefeather, isn't it?" he hesitantly asked, feeling the size of a mouse under Icefeather's cold gaze.

Icefeather blinked slowly. "Graystripe," she meowed quietly, staring at Firestar. "Go back to the others. I want to talk with Firestar now."

Graystripe stared at her, jaw hanging slightly. "Are you crazy? Where the heck did you _come_ from, anyways?"

Icefeather blinked and then swiveled her head to stare at Graystripe. His fur bristled uneasily. "I have my ways," she said coolly. "Now get."

Graystripe blinked at her, as if still wondering if she were serious, then whirled around, muttering, and began stalking away. StarClan knows how long he'd have to trek to find the other cats  
again. But something told Firestar that his friend wouldn't get lost.

As soon as Graystripe's gray smudge of fur had faded into the whispering blades of green grass, Icefeather cleared her throat and gazed at Firestar unblinkingly, as if attempting to penetrate his mind and read his thoughts.

With a quick shiver, Firestar meowed, "What is it you want?" He remembered the last time he met this cat, while walking with Spottedleaf, and had gotten a rather hostile air about her. He never saw her with the other dead-come-alive cats, either- she was always alone.

"I need to talk with you," Icefeather said quietly, blue eyes glancing around. "Follow me."

Feeling confused, the flame-colored warrior followed, feeling more like a kit than a leader. "Icefeather, look-"

"Hush!" she hissed, tail lashing, as they continued to stalk forward in silence.

Bewildered, Firestar thought it wise to listen to her, and obediently snapped his mouth shut.

After several minutes of hard walking had passed, Icefeather let her pace up and her muscled visibly relaxed. "How are you doing?" she meowed quietly.

Blinking, Firestar glanced at her, then the sky. "Er- well, I'm alright, I suppose." He paused. "Why are you being so polite yo me? Last time you were hardly kind..." His voice trailed off, and, to his surprise, Icefeather cracked a humorless smile.

"I've been known for mood swings," she drawled.

Firestar blinked. This world was becoming stranger by the second... all the more reason to want to leave soon.

As if she had read his mind, Icefeather lowered her head and meowed softly, "You want to leave, don't you?"

Firestar shrugged, trying to shake off the feeling of unease. "I- I dunno. Icefeather, you're, uh, nice and all, but you're not exactly a friend-"

"No, I understand. I'm one of them, an inhabitant of the Second World, so you cannot trust me. Is that is?" Icefeather guessed, twitching her whiskers.

Firestar felt startled by the shrewd way this cat seemed to read his mind, and backpedaled. "Okay, then, you're right- I'm not comfortable here."

Satisfied, Icefeather straightened up and gave her chest-fur a few licks. "Good."

Firestar felt annoyed. "Can you just get to the point of this meeting?

Icefeather acted as if she hadn't heard him for a moment, her ear flicking.

"You ask too many questions," she finally said.

"_What?_"

"No, you mousebrain, I don't mean what you just asked. I mean with Bluestar, and Graystripe, and Spottedleaf."

"I'm allowed to ask those, for StarClan's sake!" Firestar exclaimed. "Being thrust into a whole new world comes with free questions, I should think!"

Icefeather stared coldly at him. "If you want answers, you must observe with your eyes, and stop using that tongue. It's getting you into trouble, Firestar."

"Would you stop patronizing me, I'm a leader, not an _apprentice_-"

"You're a leader in the other world, Firestar," Icefeather rumbled, her gaze fixed on his face. "Here, you are just another cat."

Firestar frowned, his silence allowing her to continue.

"You should have never mentioned the dream to Bluestar," Icefeather whispered.

Firestar narrowed his eyes. "What dream?"

Icefeather stared at him in dismay, then glanced at the horizon, just a faint little line in the far-away distance. "This world," she began carefully, "is not like yours. There are clearly different rules, different ways and means, different procedures. You are simply a-" She hesitated. "A guest," she decided, voice thick. "A guest to this world. And there is no room for cats who question it, who wonder more than they should. This place is a world of glass," she said in a quiet voice. "And the slightest disruption can destroy it."

* * *

  
**Wow! Things are picking up! OH!!! And if anyone cares in the least, my weekend at the houseboat was good. I got a sunburn and some bruises from toobing, but otherwise it was alright. :D**

So now we will get on to the good part, when I finally am able to reveal Icefeather's story. She's such a great character, and I love her to death. Check back soon to see what happens next! :) 


	9. Icefeather

**_Hola_... er, I mean hello. (Sorry, I take Spanish... lol) I'm back with Chapter 9. :D**

Back on topic... I'll take a moment here to touch on a topic. Being a human, and being a teenager who's never really published anything, I'm not going to always sound like good ol' Erin Hunter, and slip up now and then. And who says Firestar doesn't say "yo" to peeps? XD Just kidding :D.

Anywayz, THIS is finally the chapter where, as previously requested, some familiar faces show up, and of course we learn more about Icefeather's past. So thank you for checking this out... and let's get reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own _"Warriors"_ or anything of the sort. :)  


* * *

  


**Chapter Nine: Icefeather  
****  
** Firestar gazed at the white she-cat. "World of glass," he repeated, rolling the words over on his tongue. "Funny thing to say."

"Can you just focus for one second?" Icefeather asked impatiently. "What was in your dream?"

Firestar blinked at her. "I- I don't think I know what you mean."

Icefeather growled low in her throat. "You had a dream, and you thought it was trying to warn you, yes? You told Bluestar, but she convinced you that it was all nonsense."

Firestar narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. Wisps of memory were floating back... he was starting to recall something...

"Maybe you're right. I- I think- Icefeather, I did have a dream!" he exclaimed. "I remember, it's coming back- funny, I had no idea if the dream until you mentioned it..."

"Bluestar didn't want you to remember. But I need you to remember. _What happened?_" Icefeather whispered, eyes intense.

Firestar swallowed hard, staring uncertainly at her. "I- I think Spottedleaf was there..." As soon as he said that, an image of Spottedleaf's anguished face flashed before him, and he heard his heart thudding... "And- and she was trying to tell me something... there was fire... and angry claws..."

He stopped.

"How did you know about my dream? Bluestar and I were alone."

Icefeather sighed. "I have my ways, just like you had no idea I was watching you and Graystripe."

"You? I _thought_ I was being watched," Firestar murmured, flicking his tail.

"You are forgetting things, Firestar. You will one day loose all memories of your real life unless you leave soon," Icefeather said quietly.

"I'm trying, but no one seems to want to help me!"

Icefeather stared at him, her blue eyes, for once, piercing with not coldness, but a bitter sorrow. "I will help you," she murmured. "I don't want to see another cat-" She caught herself.

"Another cat _what_?" Firestar growled, fur prickling uneasily.

Icefeather shook herself, face carefully swept of emotion. "Lost," she replied shortly.

Firestar frowned at her. "How did you get here, Icefeather?"

Icefeather glanced at him, and twisted her mouth wryly, considering her answer. "I was... like you, in the beginning. No Clan," she finally relented. "I was a rogue. My only friend was a tom named Nightblaze."

"You two belonged in no Clan," Firestar echoed, his mind beginning to spin. "And yet you had Warrior names?"

"We made them up, like a game for each other, when he overheard real Clan cats talking at a Gathering," Icefeather meowed briskly. "And Nightblaze and I were content... but he-" She faltered, and her eyes began to blaze. "One winter, we were lost in a snowstorm. And it was bitter cold, and the snow swallowed us up. He protected me." Icefeather's voice was harsh, almost grieving. "He kept me warm, and curled around me. But... he froze." She stared at the ground, clawing at the grass. "He shouldn't have died."

Firestar felt his heart twist for the bushy-tailed she-cat. "I- I'm sorry," he stammered.

"I am, too," she growled, swiftly getting a grip on herself. "In fact, I'm not just sorry about the fact he was killed. I'm more sorry about what happened moons later."

Firestar had the creeping feeling that he knew where this was headed. "Go on."

Icefeather cleared her throat. "Just like your dear friend Graystripe," she hissed, "I came upon the puddle, after moons of loneliness since Nightblaze's death, and was shocked to see him in it, luring me in. So I touched the puddle, and came here." She motioned around to the beautiful, lush landscape with a careless wave of her bushy white tail, her long ears laid back. "For many moons I was so happy, living with Nightblaze again, and I agreed to their wishes- I stayed with them. And I was locked here, forever. I "died" in the First World. This place is my only existence."

Firestar stared at her in dismay. "Oh... Icefeather," he said softly, eyes wide.

"I lost track of time... I have been here for ages, trapped in time, trapped in this world. I am a loner, for no one here trusts me, truly... They pretended to care until I was locked here, and then went on, ready to trap a new cat."

"Trap?" Firestar repeated, heart beating quickly. "What do you mean?"

Icefeather stared at him. "I mean what I mean," she said mildly, voice hard.

"But- didn't you ever try to escape?"

"Millions, trillions of times. I've walked for years, but it never stops. I've tried killing myself, but it is impossible here. And in a way, I _wanted_ to stay here- I _wanted_ to be with Nightblaze. So I gradually forgot my real life in the First World, and when you forget everything, it is impossible to return."

Firestar felt fear pulsing in his blood. "How many other cats have they trapped here?"

Icefeather narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. "This world prefers to take in Clan cats," she said at last. "They think that Clan cats tas- _mingle_ better," she corrected herself with a cold laugh. "That's why they were so disappointed with me. They'll accept any cat, I guess, but love Clan cats much more, lured by dead loved ones. That is the only reason I am still here."

Firestar felt confused, even though he knew she was trying to answer his questions. "_Still here_? What do you mean?"

Icefeather narrowed her eyes. For a long time, she said nothing, just thinking and walking. "I haven't been lost," she finally meowed.

Firestar gazed at her, thinking hard. "Why are you telling me these things?"

Icefeather chuckled and stared at the grass. "You need to be aware of everything in this world," she said simply.

"Firestar!" came a voice.

Firestar, after the slightly disturbing talk with Icefeather, had trekked back to meet with the other cats, deciding to relax with Spottedleaf. He had double thoughts about everything now, and yet whenever he saw the beautiful tortoiseshell, he felt like the world was perfect.

He glanced wearily over and his eyes widened with surprise. "Runningwind?" he asked, unable to keep a smile from curling over his lips. "Rainwhisker!" He grinned. It was good to see his two old Clanmates alive... or something like that.

"Hey Firestar," Rainwhisker meowed, his eyes twinkling towards Firestar as he respectfully nodded, and Runningwind did the same. "We decided it was about time we come see you."

"It's... it's good to see you," Firestar replied briskly, his ears still ringing from Icefeather's words. _You need to be aware of everything in this world..._

"How you doing?" Runningwind meowed, flicking an ear. "You like this place?"

Firestar blinked uncomfortably. "Er... well, it's certainly beautiful..."

"It's always beautiful," Rainwhisker replied.

Firestar smiled at him, his pleasure at seeing his old Clanmates draining quickly. "Look, I gotta, erm..."

"You have nothing to do," Runningwind meowed, smiling. "Here, everything's perfect. No troubles, no responsibilities."

Firestar twitched his whiskers dubiously. "Wouldn't it get boring, then?" He was still unable to tackle the growing mound of frustration and confusion that this world was giving him.

"Not at all," Rainwhisker promised. "I love it here."

"We get to be happy all the time," Runningwind added.

Suddenly, his two old friends were swimming before him, and Firestar felt his brain go all fuzzy. So much had happened today, and it was passing by so quickly... already the sun had come and gone from its highest point in the sky. He was dying to get some rest. And, in a hollow, aching way he was unable to satisfy, he missed eating.

"Yes, well, I'm going to go find... Spottedleaf," Firestar lied, his paws itching to get away. "So..."

"We can take you to her!" Rainwhisker kindly offered. Runningwind stepped into Firestar's path.

Firestar took a step back. "I'm a leader," he scoffed, suddenly annoyed. "Not a kit. I think I can find my way to the other cats."

"Are you sure?" Runningwind asked anxiously. "It's an endless world... cats get lost easily..."

Firestar felt frustration flash across his face. "I'm _fine,_" he insisted, and didn't realize his claws had slid out until he saw Runningwind and Rainwhisker staring at them in surprise.

"Right, then. See you," Rainwhisker said, blinking, and nudging Runningwind. Quickly, the two cats trotted off, tails high, as if nothing had happened.

Firestar was frozen, still startled by their abrupt departure. "Er... okay then," he said slowly, shaking himself and swallowing, sheathing his claws again. "I swear..." he muttered, padding away.  


* * *

  
**Whoa. Something's _seriously_ going on here.... hmmm.... well, I guess we'll have to wait until next chapter to understand more. I have some verrrry interesting questions about this place... :) See ya next time!!! **


	10. The First Sign

**Okay... *deep breath*... you know when you are so excited and pick up a brand-spankin' new _Warriors_ book, and are so anxious to see what happens next, and you start reading. But then you realize that, somehow, Erin Hunter made a hu-YUGE mistake, and throughout the whole book, called Firestar "Redstar"? Wouldn't that be awful and embarrassing?**

Alright, now you get to know why I asked such a weird question: my good reviewer, Cam, made an incredibly obvious point: this is set around the FIRST arc, and RAINWHISKER ISN'T EVEN BORN until the SECOND arc. When reading the reviews of people asking what beloved, dead cats to include in this story, I read one mentioning Rainwhisker by my old friend, Icethroat21. And, being the incredibly dim-witted teenager I tend to be, I thought she meant to INCLUDE him, and didn't even think that he wasn't around in the real books yet.

But I JUST realized that I included Rainwhisker in the last chapter, and he isn't even around!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am SO embarrassed, and extremely grateful to Cam for saying something, otherwise I would have gone down as the moronic author who wrote a terrible Warriors fanfic. I feel really horrible now... here is a story that's supposedly a good one, and then I go and screw something up like that. I'm really sorry, and I'm probably over-reacting, but I hate it when I mess up badly like that.

So, tying this into what I first said, this is like publishing a real Warriors book and realizing I made a pretty big mistake in it. Yeah, I know. I'm sorry, guys. I'll just go into the corner and stare at the wall now.... *lol*

Okay, anyways, I've got most of that oughtta my system now... meanwhile, I'm basically uploading to frantically explain why I put Rainwhisker in a story where he isn't even supposed to be around yet, and to share with you the tenth chapter of my story. I wish I could be publishing it with a different a/n, one where I didn't make a mistake on the previous chapter, but... that's the way things go.

So a HUGE round of applause to Cam, you saved me from complete & total embarrassment.

OKAY..... *DEEP breaths* Very good. Now that everyone knows, I feel a bit better. Anyways, I feel pretty crappy about my story now... (Serious LASED* coming on)

Right then!!! Well, thank you everyone who may think I'm not an idiot and is reading this, and hopefully you'll still like my story even after my mistake last chapter...

Luv ya! (in a total we're-almost-complete-strangers-but-you-all-are-awesome kinda way *lol*)

*LASE stands for Low Author Self Esteem Disorder.... ;P

Disclaimer: I do nawt own _Warriors_. And I'm bloody glad, too. I don't have to worry about making a mistake the whole world will read. xD

P.S. This has been the longest author's note I've ever made. I hope it wasn't overwhelming... :)

* * *

  
**Chapter Ten: The First Sign**

Firestar wondered if a cat could have somehow slipped rocks into his paws, because the next morning when he awoke, he could barely move his paws.

His eyes slowly sliding open, Firestar yawned and reluctantly began to sit up, luxuriously stretching his spine and yawning until he wondered if his head would snap in half. He was so exhausted, he couldn't sleep.

It was, not to his surprise, a gorgeous day out, and though the sun was just a newly-risen yellow disk above the swaying green grass, the whole world was painted with brightness. It was almost as if the sunlight was a blanket draped over the Second World.

Yesterday had finished quickly for Firestar, and he had sat far away from the others, sleeping alone, under an empty sky again. He had sat for a long time, thinking, analyzing every memory he had bottled up in his mind, refusing to forget, always repeating his Clan name, struggling to remember Clanmate's names.

But he had also thought a lot about Icefeather. She had dropped so many hints yesterday... what did they all mean? _Was_ he in danger? Was she really _trapped_ here? Would he fall upon the same fate? And what had she begun to say before she said "mingle"? Firestar had nervously pondered and pondered until he finally had allowed sleep to claim him.

Now, Firestar slowly trudged over the grass, eyes narrowed, hair wild and messy. He had tossed and turned last night, and it had left his pelt a mess. Clearly, not everything was always perfect in this world.

"Firestar!" Spottedleaf exclaimed, delighted. Firestar inwardly groaned- he had been trying to avoid her and Bluestar most of yesterday, especially after remembering how Bluestar tried to make him forget about the dream. He couldn't quite put his paw on it, but he always got a weird feeling when the hauntingly beautiful tortoiseshell was around him, and his little chat with  
Icefeather yesterday just backed up this creeping feeling.

"Hi," he said listlessly.

Her amber eyes took him in. "You look terrible," she finally declared.

"Thanks," he grumbled.

Spottedleaf laughed softly and batted at him with a paw. "Silly," she purred. "I'm just kidding, you don't look terrible. Just let me fix up some of that fur..." She wetted a paw and pressed it to his fur, attempting to flatten it's wildness.

"It's not working," he guessed after several long moments of concentrated silence.

"Shhh!" Spottedleaf giggled, slapping her tail over his mouth, and narrowing her eyes. "Well, that's as good as it'll get. We can stop by the creek today and use real water."

"There's a creek here?" Firestar meowed, feeling himself slowly start to wake up. He barely suppressed a shiver- after the puddle that led him here, he felt sick whenever he thought about water.

"Of course there is," Spottedleaf meowed, smiling fondly at him. "So what do you want to do today?"  
Firestar blinked dully at her. "Go for a walk?" he asked, voice lathered with sarcasm.

"That sounds great!"

"I was joking," he said flatly.

Spottedleaf blinked. "Oh."

An uneasy silence panned out, and each cat bit their tongues, unsure of what to do next.

"You look like you could do with a moon of sleep," Spottedleaf finally meowed, smiling slightly and breaking the ice.

Firestar shrugged and sat down, yawning. His tail curled neatly over his paws. "Or two and three."

Spottedleaf laughed and sat down across from him. "Well, alright then... do you want to go back to sleep?"

Firestar glanced around. Cats were laughing, talking, and walking all around them- no one looked tired like him, and he'd feel embarrassed if he went back to sleep all alone. "No, I'll survive.  
Have you seen Graystripe?" he added. He hadn't seen his gray-furred friend since Icefeather sent him home before talking with Firestar.

Something flickered in Spottedleaf's eyes. "Oh, no. You haven't?"

Firestar shook his head and yawned again.

"He's probably out with Silverstream," she said, shrugging.

"He's out with her too much," Firestar said darkly.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

Another awkward silence enveloped them, and as Firestar gazed at Spottedleaf, he wished more than anything that she would go away. What he really wanted right now was a fat, juicy mouse and a warm, familiar nest to curl in so he could just think. With all the cats distracting him, he felt like he barely had time to do that anymore.

"Icefeather talked to you, didn't she?" Spottedleaf sighed.

Firestar's fur prickled uneasily. "Er..."

"It's okay, she must have scared you, huh?"

Firestar squinted at her, not sure how to reply to that without getting embarrassed.

"She does that to all the newcomers," Spottedleaf explained, shaking her head. "It's all stupidity, though. Icefeather's nice enough, but..." Her sweet voice trailed off, and she flicked an ear.

Firestar shook his fur. Half of his heart desperately wanted to believe Spottedleaf. As freaky as this world may be, it was still amazingly beautiful, and there was still a small part of him that was happy each day to see Spottedleaf, his first love, one again. But the other half of his heart trusted Icefeather more than the Second World's Spottedleaf, and he somehow knew in his gut that Icefeather was not just _scaring_ him.

Suddenly, thinking of Icefeather reminded Firestar of something he'd been wanting to do.

"Is Nightblaze still around?" he asked.

Spottedleaf looked surprised. "Who's that?" she asked curiously.

Firestar gave his chest-fur a few absentminded licks. "A black cat, close friends with Icefeather?"

Spottedleaf's eyes clouded. "Oh, _him_." There was something the way she said "him" that made Firestar think of when a cat would say "cat-dung". "No, he's... he went on, you know?"

"Oh." Firestar frowned. "You mean... he no longer exists in any world?" He felt a pang of disappointment. He had hoped that talking with Icefeather's friend might clear some things up.

Spottedleaf smiled slightly and shrugged. "I dunno about that... I mean, who knows what goes on in the other universes?"

Firestar felt his mind began to spin, and he shook his head briskly as if in hopes of scattering his thoughts. "Er, right. Well, then... I'd like to see Bluestar."

"Again?" Spottedleaf meowed, a hint of suspicion in her voice. "No, you can't... she's busy."

Firestar frowned at her. "I want to see Bluestar."

Spottedleaf sighed sadly. "Look, I'm really sorry, but she just can't."

"This is important!" Firestar exclaimed, feeling very angry all of a sudden. He shot up, and stared coldly at Spottedleaf. "Where is she?"

"Firestar, just-"  
_  
"Spottedleaf!"_

She looked alarmed, and a few cats were glancing curiously at him, probably wondering what the loud voices were for. "Please, stop, I can't!"

"Why not?" Firestar growled.

Fear clawed at Spottedleaf's amber eyes, and she shook her head quickly. "Would you stop asking so many questions?" she snapped, and it was the first time Firestar had heard her sound angry.

"That's what cats normally do when they're curious!" Firestar spat. "Now tell me where Bluestar is!"

Desperation flashed over Spottedleaf's face, and she looked quite blank, as if at a lost at what to do.

"Now!" Firestar bellowed. Now several cats were watching the debate draw out, and he whirled around.

"Firestar, stop! Please! I'll get in trouble!" Spottedleaf cried. "Bluestar is busy!"

"I need to talk to her! What could be more important?" Firestar shot over his shoulder. To his surprise, he heard no paw-steps chasing after him, and he drew to a stop, swinging around.

No one was giving chase.

"Aren't- aren't you going to try and stop me?" he asked blankly.

Spottedleaf stared evenly at him, and exchanged a look with a cat who was watching as well, a white tom who Firestar realized was Whiteclaw. "See what happens," she murmured, and  
Firestar felt bolts of fear shoot up his spine. Her voice was soft like a snake's, and all her anxiety was abruptly gone, replaced by smug contentment, like watching a mouse hop into a cat's claws.

Unnerved, Firestar slowly turned around, and, his fur bristling, began running like wild towards wherever- anywhere to get away from Spottedleaf, from all of them.

His heart pounding, the blood roaring in his ears, Firestar's breath was coming in ragged gasps when suddenly what breath he had was rudely knocked from him as he crashed into someone.

Firestar shakily looked up, and felt his face drain from shock and horror.

It was Bluestar, staring down at him, but there was something wrong with her eyes.

They were switched, like instead of black pupils and blue eyes, she had blue pupils and black eyes, and they were wide and gleaming. But what shocked Firestar the most was the way she was looking at him:

Like she was hungry.

* * *

  
**Ohmagawd! Whattheheck????? Something strange is going on, and it's freaking even ME out. lol...**

Okay, allow me to say something.

Firstly, to some people's belief, the cats of the Second World are foxes or something trying to eat Firestar and Graystripe. And though that would make a good story, that's not the case here. Well... without giving away too much.... *evil author cackle*... the cats of the Second World are much more than you may think. And they don't want to eat our beloved heroes. Something different.

But I can't tell you. Not just yet. :)

Can you tell I'm feeling a bit better, since I've told you about the Rainwhisker thing? Let's just nod our heads, sympathize with poor, bat-brained Sarafina, and move on. xD I'm gonna try, anyways... Ah, well. What happens, happens. Right? 

**But seriously, thanks to everyone out there, and a personal thanks to Cam. (I do hope I not overwhelming you... ;P)**

See ya! 


	11. Forgotten

**Well, what can I say? I started this story in August, and now it's October. Wow. Time flies like crazy, even when you're young. Ah, well. xD**

Anyways, I think I must have a thing for cliffhangers (lol), because last chapter was a cliffhanger like some of my earlier ones, so please forgive me, but it was the best way to end chapter 10. :) Here we are, at the eleventh part of this story, and I hope you like it.

_Disclaimer:_ Does anyone read this thing?

* * *

Chapter Eleven: Forgotten

Bluestar blinked, and when her eyes opened again, her eyes were returned to normal, and she was staring at Firestar curiously.

"You again? Redheart, I thought-" She stopped. "Oh, not Redheart. Firestar." She laughed.

Firestar swallowed hard, too shook up by what he had just seen to saw anything.

"What?" she asked, serious now.

Firestar, his throat suddenly feeling like it was coated with sand, croaked, "Y- you- you had something w- wrong with y- your eyes..." he said shakily, trembling all over. He was no longer angry of alarmed- he was terrified. And he wanted nothing more than to get out of here now.

Bluestar just laughed an unnaturally high laugh. "Don't be a mousebrain, Firestar," she purred. "I'm fine. See?" She narrowed her eyes playfully at him, and swatted him with her paw.  
"What's really wrong?"

Firestar's heart was beginning to slow down, but he took several steps away from Bluestar, just in case. "Um... w- well... look, I-" He stopped. He was staring at something over Bluestar's shoulder, to where there was a clump of perfectly-trimmed bushes, something he hadn't seen much here so far. And in the bushes, there were a pair of cold blue eyes staring urgently out at him.

The eyes were warning him, and Firestar realized something in a flash.

He couldn't tell Bluestar anything. Not yet. Not now. Maybe not ever.

"I... I forgot," he said quickly.

Bluestar cocked her head at him, whiskers twitching. "Oh. Well, try not to bother me again, okay? I'm a very busy cat." She began to walk away, then paused, and turned around to frown thoughtfully at him.

"Firestar," she said after a moment.

Firestar gulped. "Y- yeah?"

Bluestar narrowed her eyes, as if carefully thinking of her next words. "Have you had any more dreams?"

Firestar nervously twitched his tail. "No," he said honestly, grateful that he didn't have to lie again.

Bluestar stared at him a moment longer before nodding and turning away, trotting through the waving blades of green grass and over the hilly terrain until it swallowed her up, and the only things alive were Firestar and the bush with eyes.

Slowly, uneasily, Firestar began treading the grass to reach the bush. Finally he was next to it, and he cautiously glanced around before lowering his head and hissing, "It's okay- no one's out here!"

The bush began to tremble, and then a white she-cat with long ears and a bushy tail appeared. "I know that, mousebrain," she retorted hotly, shaking off any remains of pine-needles on her fur.

"What are you doing here?" Firestar asked curiously.

"Trying to save your butt!" Icefeather snapped, glowering at him. "Don't you _realize_ what you're doing?"

Firestar blinked. "Um... what?"

"You are such a tom," she grumbled, sitting down and beginning to wash her ruffled fur. "Look," she said between tongue strokes. "You can't act up like that. You need to lay low and play  
along, alright?"

Firestar stared at her from narrowed eyes. "Why won't anyone be straight with me?" he growled. "I want _answers,_ alright? Why won't anyone tell me what's going on?"

Icefeather paused in her licking to stare at him. "Because you won't like what you will hear."

"I don't care! I _have_ to know!" Firestar hissed.

Icefeather gazed at him, and flicked an ear. She slowly leaned in. "You want to know everything?" she whispered.

Firestar, heart pounding, nodded quickly. "Yes!" he added, for good measure.

Icefeather bit her lip, blue eyes intense. "_Really_?"

Firestar frowned at her. "Of course!"

Icefeather took a deep breath, opened her mouth, and: laughed.

"I can't tell you," she replied, scrambling back and shaking herself off again.

"_What?_" Firestar exclaimed, glaring at her. "I need to know! Why the heck did Bluestar's eyes go all weird like that?"

Icefeather's smirk vanished, and she was serious instantly. "What did you see?" she asked quietly.

Firestar gazed uncertainly at her. "Well... I'm- I'm not really sure.. it was like her eyes were switched. You know?" Firestar knew he sounded like an idiot, but hoped this cat, of all cats, would understand.

But she just stared at him, face kept carefully blank of emotion. "Ah," she meowed, frowning. "Not good," she muttered, before drawing herself up and taking a deep breath. "Forget about it, alright?"

"I can't forget something like that! No way!"

"You have to!" Icefeather hissed, eyes sparking. "If you want to stay alive!"

Firestar stared at her. "Of course I want to stay alive!" he retorted. "But it's getting harder with each day, and with you dropping hints and cats acting weird and eyes going berserk-"

"Listen to me, Firestar," Icefeather growled, and something flickered in her eyes, something Firestar couldn't quite place. "I _am_ going to get you and your big gray friend out of here. I give you my word of honor." She bowed her head to him, then snapped it up quickly. "But... in return, you _must_ promise me something."

Firestar couldn't ignore the way Icefeather's voice shook just slightly, and he wondered what she was thinking. He cocked his head slightly, thoughtfully. "Go on."

Icefeather took a deep breath. "You have to stop acting like a mousebrain, and start playing along. Got it? No outbursts, no sudden visits, no fights, nothing. Understand?" she asked fiercely, claws unsheathed.

Firestar eyed them uncertainly. "Yes, whatever, I will," he said quickly.

Icefeather sighed and turned away. "You'd better get back to your little Spottedleaf," she tossed over her shoulder. "Make her and everyone else think you saw nothing."

Firestar watched her go. "Where are you going?"

Icefeather kept on walking. "Away from here."

The flame-colored tom kept his eyes trained on Icefeather's snow-white back until she disappeared into the wildly tossing blades of grass, and he stayed there for a long time, thinking.

Finally, he slowly turned around, and descended the hill, trekking over the grassy hills and trying to organize his befuddled mind. Here, a headache was most likely a normal thing to get every day.

At last Firestar heard cats talking, and he climbed a last hill before seeing hundreds of cats, all of the "dead" cats, again.

His ears pricked, and he glanced around. His green eyes flicked over the talking cats, and a deep sigh escaped his chest. He once again got the pang of loneliness, and wished nothing more that he could be back home. But he had promised Icefeather.

Firestar would play along.


	12. Just a Feeling

**Hey, glad to have everyone back. I know this chapter took a bit longer, and I'm really sorry, I've got Quarterly Assessments this week, and been studying like mad. But I figured you all deserved another chappy (yes, I said 'chappy') ;P, so here it is. Also, things pick up here, so if you're confused or anything at all, PM me and I'll try to explain as much as my little brain is able to ;)**

Disclaimer: I own nuthin' here.

* * *

  
Chapter Twelve: Just a Feeling

Paws thudding heavily in the grass, Firestar's heart was racing. It seemed to be singing along with the wind that whispered and curled around his running body.

"Firestar! You're going too fast!" came a high, gentle voice.

Firestar forced a laugh and pelted ahead even faster, paws working madly and scrabbling at the ground. Grass and dust flew into the air, and he knew he was kicking it up into Spottedleaf's face.

It was a few hours after he had seen the strange thing with Bluestar's eyes, and the weird way Spottedleaf had acted earlier._ I'm supposed to forget all that,_ he reminded himself harshly.  
Now, he was playing games with Spottedleaf, at her begging. And, as much unease and guilt was racked up in his gut, he had to admit that it was fun to romp with the beautiful tortoiseshell once again.

A large boulder was in sight, and Firestar narrowed his eyes in determination, scratching around the rock and trying to maintain his balance as he swerved back. He was racing Spottedleaf, three times around the boulder, and he was in the lead.

"You're not being fair!" Spottedleaf happily pouted, sounding a tinkling laugh as her delicate paws curved around the boulder.

Firestar was panting, and he swung his head around to see how far away from her he was. To his surprise, he found himself face-to-face with Spottedleaf, and he gasped as they crashed into each other, rolling across the soft grass and bouncing painfully until they came to a final stop.

Firestar's head was spinning, and he felt faint all over. Spottedleaf was splashed on top of him, sprawled out and laughing.

"Oh my- I'm so sorry, that was crazy-" she gasped, laughing harder.

Firestar smiled grimly at her for a second.

The golden sunlight trickled through the fluffy clouds and stroked Spottedleaf's fur, making her seem to glow and sparkle. The sight took Firestar's breath away, and all his thoughts melted away as he gazed at her. For a moment, he wanted nothing more than to stare at her forever. He greedily gazed at her, drinking in her beauty, and wished that she could be his.

Firestar blinked, shocked by his sudden thoughts, and shook himself, pushing Spottedleaf off of him and standing up. He backed off and swallowed hard, gazing at her.

Spottedleaf's wide amber eyes blinked at him in puzzlement. "What's wrong?" she meowed.

Firestar shrugged and licked his chest fur. "Nothing," he mumbled.

Spottedleaf lashed her tail thoughtfully back and forth, and blinked slowly. "Firestar," she said calmly, sounding like she had rehearsed saying this. "There's something you need to see."

Firestar cocked his head at her cautiously. "What's that?"

Spottedleaf sighed and stood up, padding over to stand next to him. Her gentle face was inches from Firestar's, and he saw warm adoration brimming in her eyes. For a second he inwardly flinched away, pinched by guilt. Spottedleaf really did love him... but there was something he couldn't place, something that just held him back... Memories of Bluestar's distorted eyes,  
Icefeather's ominous words, and the way Bluestar tried to make him forget his dream all brushed his mind, and he pursed his lips.

This couldn't go on for much longer. Icefeather had sworn she would find a way to get him and Graystripe home. But she lived here- she could easily be lying, really be one of them.

Firestar twitched an ear. He had this feeling, though, that ate that suspicion up and spat it out. He trusted Icefeather with a firm certainty that could not be denied. He knew in his heart that she honestly wanted to help him, and her past was shrouded with sinister and confusing secrets that somehow intertwined with this world and Firestar's future.

He twitched an ear. Speaking of Graystripe, he had barely seen the gray warrior recently. Honestly, Firestar was more than just a little worried. He knew Graystripe was being sucked into this world, and it was only a matter of time before he lost his furry friend for good.

"Firestar?" Spottedleaf prodded him with a paw, her whiskers twitching in amusement. "You zoned out, mousebrain. Didn't you hear what I said?"

Firestar blinked and shook himself again, his flame-colored fur bristling slightly. "Sorry, what?"

She chuckled. "I have a surprise for you. It'll make things easier from now on."

Firestar instantly got a warning pinch in his stomach. As beautiful, kind, and honest as this Spottedleaf may seem, he couldn't trust her.

"I don't know, I kinda wanted to, uh, look for Graystripe..."

"Graystripe's out on a walk with some of Silverstream's family," Spottedleaf explained. "He's fine."

"I miss him," Firestar blurted, too quick to feel stupid for pouring his guts to a dead cat.

Spottedleaf sighed, and her amber eyes were dark with sadness. "Sometimes that happens. But you still have the rest of us. Graystripe will always be your friend, but let him be with  
Silverstream for awhile. He'll come back eventually."

Firestar allowed himself to be faintly comforted by her words, and then sat down, curling his tail around his paws curtly. "So back to this... surprise."

Spottedleaf's face brightened. "Oh, yes! Come quickly, you'll love it!" She nudged him up and wrapped her tail around his neck, leading him quickly away from the boulder that had just caused their collision.

Her sweet smell clogging his nose, Firestar choked, "Can you just tell me-"

"If I did, it wouldn't be a surprise," Spottedleaf said impatiently, shaking her head as if thinking, _toms._

Firestar twisted his lips uncertainly, but let himself be carried away. His curiosity got the better of him anyways, and now he kind if wanted to know what the "surprise" was.

They walked for a short time, the warm air tickling their fur, and the endless blue sky stretching effortlessly above them. Firestar noted that, in this world, you could stare at the glowing, burning sun without risking your eyes, something he thought was very interesting. So as he was tugged along, he looked up at the sky, and instinctively narrowed his eyes when seeing the burning disk of light, suspended high in the sky.

At last the tall, lush grass gave way to a field of beautiful, sweet-smelling, colorful flowers, and Firestar stared at them in amazement. Never had be seen something so gorgeous, so delicious. His mouth watered as he gazed at the flowers.

"I've never seen this part of the Second World before," he faintly remarked as they trekked through the field of flowers.

Spottedleaf barely paid the flowers a glance. "Oh, yeah, well, not many cats come this way."

Instantly Firestar's stomach dropped, and he lost interest in the flowers, just staring at his paws as they continued to walk along.

"Right there," Spottedleaf said with a hint of pride.

Firestar screwed up his eyes, searching for whatever Spottedleaf was talking about, and finally his eyes fell upon what she meant.

"Oh," he breathed.

Just a few inches away from his dusty paws was a pile of rocks, and inside the rocks was a silver pool of water.

"What's this?" he asked softly, heart thudding.

Spottedleaf stared at the pool for a moment before slowly looking over at Firestar. Her eyes were wide and glassy. "Your surprise," she purred, flicking her tail-tip and motioning for him to come closer.

As if an invisible being had taken over Firestar's body, he took two stiff steps forward, and he was suddenly standing in front of the silver pool. Spottedleaf softly drew up behind him.

Firestar was trembling as he gazed into the pool. Memories of the first mysterious puddle that had got him into this mess was still swimming in his mind, and Firestar was not too fond of water so soon.

"I don't like this," he said clearly.

"Neither do I," Spottedleaf whispered, staring at the water. "That is why we are here. That is why this must be done, Firestar. I don't like how you've been acting up recently, and this will change all that. This will make our future together much more easy."

"Our future together?" Firestar repeated, ripping his gaze away from the pool to stare in horror at Spottedleaf. "No, no, this isn't right. I-" He stopped abruptly, Icefeather's words still hot in his mind. He couldn't say that. Nothing about wanting to go home. He had to lay low and play along.

Firestar swallowed. "Okay," he croaked.

Spottedleaf's eyes were warm as she nodded at him. "Thank you," she meowed earnestly, and then slowly walked around to the other side of the pool. "Firestar," she said clearly, body straight and eyes bright. "Right now, I need you to remember everything about your old life in ThunderClan."

Firestar was surprised and uneasy about all this, but reluctantly went along with it. He shut his eyes and his mind scrambled as he collected all his memories of his life in the real world. His first few months as Rusty the kittypet... first meeting Bluestar and the Clans, and earning a place in ThunderClan... when he attacked Yellowfang and eventually came to love her like a mother... unfolding Tigerstar's bloodstained history and revealing it to the Clans... falling in love with Sandstorm... mentoring Cinderpelt... the fire... the vicious dogs... Bluestar's madness... BloodClan... All the events leading up to now, he thought of all of them, and felt his heart swell.

"Do you have them all?" Spottedleaf whispered.

Firestar hesitated before finally nodding quickly.

Spottedleaf stared at him, body quivering in anticipation. "Now," she said quietly, voice vibrating with excitement. "I need you to dip your muzzle into the water."

Firestar frowned, and didn't move.

When Spottedleaf spoke again, she sounded annoyed. "Do it," she commanded, with a force that Firestar had never heart before. And he instantly felt his head lower towards the smooth,  
still surface of the cold pool. He dipped his muzzle into the water, and waited. His frustration and confusion threatened to overwhelm him, and he wished Spottedleaf would be done with it.

"I speak to the powers in this Second World that control it all and maintain the balance between all universes," Spottedleaf said loudly, voice clear and excited. "This cat wants a new life here, and must give up his memories of life in the First World to be here with me. Destroy his memories, let him live happily here!" she cried.

Firestar gasped. _"What?"_

But there was an instant whirring noise, and Firestar cried out in pain as his head was thrust underwater. He shook and kicked out as he gulped down the bitter water, and his heart was racing. The blood pounded in his ears. What was going on? What was Spottedleaf doing?

Then came the greatest pain of all. It felt like a cat was clawing his head and blood was oozing from his ears. The trickles of scarlet memories became thicker and faster, and Firestar felt weak and weightless. It was all being erased... all his memories... he could start a new life in the Second World now... it was what he wanted. Of course. He knew this was what he wanted.

With a snap, it was done. Abruptly, Firestar was yanked from the silver pool, and he gasped, spluttering and shaking.

He stood up quickly and looked around, shaking twinkling droplets of water from his face. His green eyes glanced around. The silver pool and field of enchanting flowers were all gone, and he was on a grassy hill under the wide blue sky. After a moment, Spottedleaf's beautiful face loomed before him, and she smiled at him, her eyes crinkling.

"How do you feel?" she asked softly.

Firestar smiled and sat up, stretching. _Wow._ What a beautiful place. What a beautiful cat. His breath caught, and he knew immediately what he wanted to do.

"I'm great," he said, voice slurred. He did, in fact, feel excellent. Younger and brighter than ever. He felt like he could claw his way up a mountain, swim through the salty seas, fly in the sky with the birds.

"Let's go. The others will be so happy," Spottedleaf purred, rasping a tongue over his ear and helping him up. He swayed slightly as they began walking away, fur brushing.

Firestar was grinning, but he stopped suddenly and glanced around.

Spottedleaf frowned at him. "What's wrong?"

Firestar blinked blankly and looked over at her, smiling in relief. "Nothing. Just a feeling," he said calmly, walking after her, excited at the prospect of meeting more old friends.

* * *

  
**Okay, show of hands: How many people are confused? (lol) Allow me to explain. So basically, what just happened is that Spottedleaf drained Firestar of all his memories. So now he officially has no reason to want to go home, because he believes this place is his home. Get it? I know it's confusing, but ina twisted way, it's supposed to be.**

Well, I gotta go. Luv you all (in a total author-to-readers way, lol) :D


	13. Omen

**Hey. Wow. It's been ages. A bit more than a month, really. All I can say is, I am sorry from the bottom of my heart for taking so long. You all must've lost hope in this story, but I really hope not. I hope I can still have your respect as an author and catch your attention as a writer. What happened is that, about a month ago, the computer went blank. Like, stopped working, and lost everything. It had something to do with my moronic brother getting on sites that hurt the software or something. So anyways, in order to save the computer, my dad had to wipe it clean and start from scratch. So here I am, a month later, struggling to return to the beloved world of FanFiction.**

Wow. That was all dramatic, haha. But it's true, and if you don't believe me, it's okay. We are strangers, anyways (lol). Now, onto the story. I am happier than ever to return, and I plan to keep a firm schedule on this story. I want to get it done so everyone can have their answers!!!

So we left off (I could hardly remember!) when Spottedleaf decided things had grown too dangerous to leave Firestar with all his memories, and make up his mind for him in the choice to stay in the Second World. So she erased most of his memories, and left a naive, content shell of our brave Firestar. But there is so much more to happen, so much more drama, more action, more questions, more secrets... gahh! I can hardly wait to get started!

**Now, thank you, so_, so_ much if you are a loyal reader returning to this almost-forgotten story, I love you and worship you (lol), because I feel awful after being absent for so long. Please review, I have to know if anyone's there, so thanks a gazillion, and I hope you aren't disappointed!**

Disclaimer: NOTHING IS MINE!!!!!!!!!!!

* * *

Chapter Thirteen- Omen

Firestar felt the grass crunching under his steady paws as he allowed Spottedleaf to lead him back to, well, wherever they were going. Firestar couldn't exactly recall why he was here, or in fact how he even got here. All he knew was that he was in love with this amazing cat right here, and wanted to be with her forever.

It was the funniest thing. Firestar knew his own name, and somehow remembered this cat, like from another life, yet everything else was blank.  
Yet it didn't trouble Firestar in the least. He knew all was well.

"Now, you remember my name, right?" Spottedleaf murmured, not taking her eyes off the beautiful horizon as she continued treading the hills.

Firestar nodded enthusiastically, anxious to please her. "Spottedleaf!"

An array of emotions played across her face, and Spottedleaf shook herself, clearing her throat. "So do you remember any other cats... any at all?"

Firestar blinked, concentrating. His mind groped at a blank white wall, trying to crumble it, to greedily find the answers behind it. Yet another part of him willed Firestar to avoid that wall, soothing him that all was fine. He didn't need all the answers, after all.

"Not really," he admitted. "I mean..." His voice trailed off as the images of a furry gray tom with wide yellow eyes pounded through his head, and blurry flickers of others... a snow-white cat, with piercing eyes and a bushy tail...

"What?" Spottedleaf asked quickly, stopping suddenly.

Firestar was startled by her sudden sharp tone, and he halted as well, stammering. "I- well, not much. Just this one, uh, cat, I guess- a gray tom?  
Um, and a white cat, with- er, a bushy tail?" He grew quiet, feeling like an idiot and wondering why stabs of guilt were making him feel sick. He had  
done nothing wrong, yet under Spottedleaf's hot gaze he _felt_ like he had.

"Graystripe," Spottedleaf confirmed, sounding more relaxed now, and Firestar relaxed himself.

"And the white cat?" he curiously prompted.

Spottedleaf's lips pursed, and Firestar's heart skipped a beat. Uh oh. What had he done wrong this time?

"Icefeather," she finally relented, licking her ruffled chest fur. "Anyways, I'm glad you remember some things... but we will fill your mind with this  
world fast enough. Firestar," she added, taking a deep breath and walking over to him. Firestar was engulfed by a sweet-smelling storm, and he gazed at her, lost in admiration.

"Yes?" he choked.

Spottedleaf flicked an ear, then reached out gently, and rasped her tongue across his cheek. "We can be together now," she whispered.

Firestar shuddered, and an odd thing happened. There were longing pangs in his stomach... a claw trying to rip through a sheet of rock... Before, Firestar knew, he hadn't been allowed to be with this cat, this angel. He couldn't quite remember why, yet it was the strong sense that pressed in on him now that made him happy. It didn't matter what happened before. They could be together now, for Spottedleaf spoke the undeniably beautiful truth.

"Thank you." Firestar blinked with surprise, and realized the words had tumbled from his own mouth. But why had he said that? He had nothing to thank her for, right? All at once, Firestar felt confused, and his blood began to smoke. That blank wall grew larger, expanding throughout his mind, and threatened to wipe him out... he shivered, and began beating upon that wall. He needed those answers... suddenly his innocent, new mind was rebelling...

"Firestar!" Spottedleaf meowed loudly, shattering his thoughts. "Come along," she added, more softly, and took a step away, flicking her tail.  
"Remember- don't you want to meet the others?"

Firestar blinked, and felt overpowered by her kind, fond eyes. "Alright," he murmured, walking towards her as the storm in his mind began to clear.

They walked for a short time, Firestar beginning to forget about his doubts and instead focus on this world. The sky was a startlingly deep blue, a color he'd never thought was possible, and thick, puffy clouds were perfectly dotted among it. They were so fluffy and white that Firestar bet it was possible to just fall asleep on one of those.

The landscape was incredible, too, matching the sky in beauty yet doubling its vastness, as impossible as that seemed. It rolled and curled, almost seeming to laugh gently as the sun's golden beams washed upon it, drowning all she stroked with an odd glow.  
The grass was tall and lush, a delicious shade of green that made Firestar's throat ache, and as the wind curved around him and brushed across the blades, they danced slowly, almost mesmerizing. Firestar knew that it was possible to go walking in this land, and drown in its beauty, for it was so endless and beaming.

That thought, for some reason, sent chills down Firestar's spine, and he pressed against Spottedleaf, grateful for the guide so he _wouldn't_ get lost.

And then, there was the low buzz of talking, and laughter, and Firestar blinked. Hundreds of cats had suddenly appeared, the grass seeming to unfold as the hill sloped into a field and revealed the many other cats Spottedleaf must have been talking about.

But it was weird. Firestar guessed it was easy to notice him and Spottedleaf up on the grass, yet no cat shouted out or even glanced their way.

For whatever reason, they were all gathering around a silvery gray queen with scars around her muzzle and bright blue eyes.

"Bluestar," Firestar knew at once, slightly troubled by the fact he _knew_ that cat, but had no idea _how_ he did.

"Good job," Spottedleaf meowed, but sounded distracted as she flexed her claws and strained to look down at what everyone was so excited about. Her eyes widened in pleasure, and she whispered, _"New arrival!"_

"What?" Firestar inquired.

Spottedleaf looked at him, as if confused, then her eyes went glassy and she shook herself, mumbling something. "Sorry, didn't realize I'd talked out loud." She hesitated, and Firestar noticed how her body quivered with excitement that he knew had nothing to do with him. For some reason, this irritated the flame-colored tom.

"Come with me," Spottedleaf mewed after a moment, and abruptly went padding down the slope, racing towards where the cats had flocked.

Taken by surprise at her quickness, Firestar shrugged and followed her. As he went galloping down the grassy slope, his green eyes were curious to notice an ice-white cat sitting alone a ways off, apparently not interested at all in the "new arrival" that had aroused all the others. Her head was slumped on her chest, and her unusually tall ears were flattened.

Firestar's memories stirred, and he remembered her to be Icefeather. Funny. He recalled how odd Spottedleaf had acted when mentioning her. He wondered why, and considered going over to speak with her. But the majority of his interest, like the others, was aimed at this "new arrival", and so he chose to visit Icefeather later.

At last he drew to a stop behind the first ring of cats, and he glanced awkwardly around, slipping through and muttering apologies left and right as he squeezed towards the center of the furry gathering, eager to see what was going on.

Finally he shouldered his way past the last couple cats, and found himself face-to-face with Bluestar herself. She reared back in surprise, and blinked at him, streaks of unease coloring her gaze.

"Firestar!" she greeted him, her unease not touching her voice. "What a surprise. Are you... feeling better?" She glanced sideways towards

Spottedleaf, who Firestar had only just realized was also in the center of the ring of gathered cats.

"Hello," Spottedleaf purred towards him, then shot a _we'll talk later_ look at Bluestar, who just shook her ruffled fur.

Firestar ignored the bubbling gossip of surrounding cats, and looked at the little black cat sandwiched in between Spottedleaf and Bluestar.

"Hi," he mouthed.

The black cat, who was trembling and crouched near the grass, just stared at him with wide eyes. It was easy to read her emotions, and Firestar could tell she was scared. He wished he could go over and comfort the little cat, to promise her that nothing was wrong.

"What's your name?" Bluestar whispered to the black cat.

Her amber eyes widened, and her whiskers trembled as she licked her lips, apparently trying to speak. "B- Bird," she squeaked.

"Bird," Bluestar repeated, voice blank. "Bird- do you have a Clan?"

Bird shook violently, though the air was warm and pleasant. All the cats strained to get a better look, and were all dead silent, all ears trained to see what Bird had to say.

"Wh- what's a Clan?" she whispered.

Intrigued, Firestar pricked his ears, his eyes missing nothing as he watched disgust and disappointment cloud Bluestar's and Spottedleaf's faces.

But as he looked around, he was almost disturbed to see that expression reflected on every single face in the crowd.  
_  
Huh?  
_  
"So you are a loner? Or a rogue?" Spottedleaf demanded.

Bird curled her tail around her little paws. "I- I do not know those words," she confessed, eyes still brimming with shock and confusion. "But I live with no other cats, and no Upwalkers... and no C- Clan..."

"Mouse dung!" a cat spat from the crowd.

"Upwalker," a cat near Firestar murmured. He looked up and saw a broad-shouldered tabby. "What...?"

"She means a Twolegged," Bluestar easily translated, and though she had controlled her face and voice to sound calm, Firestar couldn't deny the bitter disappointment and rage behind her eyes.

"Bird," Spottedleaf said softly. "How did you get here?"

Bird quaked. "Well," she whispered, "I- I was walking in the forest... and found this puddle of water..."

Firestar froze, and wondered why the feeling of remorse clouded his mind. That seemed so familiar...

"-and I saw the face of..." Bird paused, drew a shaky breath, and continued. "Of my dead mother. So I touched the puddle... and fell through this whiteness..."

Firestar's mind was starting to spin, his heart thudding like a rock in his chest. _He knew what she spoke of..._

"And here I am," Bird squeaked, eyes still wide.

Bluestar exchanged a look of sadness with Spottedleaf, and looked back at the little cat. "False alarm, everyone," she said loudly, sighing, and turning to Spottedleaf. "It's your turn," she growled through gritted teeth as the cats began to mutter and break off.

Firestar watched, body locked, wondering what would happen next.

Spottedleaf, fur bristling slightly, nodded stiffly at her leader, then mumbled something in Bird's ear.

While she was speaking in hushed tones to the little black cat, Bluestar looked up, and her fur spiked when she realized Firestar was still there.

"Firestar!" she snapped, making the flame-colored tom hop back, startled like a rabbit. "What are you still doing here?"

Firestar goggled at her. Once again, an inner force began to beat upon that blank wall, furious and determined to rip it away, to remember...  
Firestar stopped. _Huh?_ Remember what?

His mind whirling in painfully confusing circles, he just shook his head at Bluestar and began walking off, pushing the almost disturbing situation to the back of his head, which was barely possible at the moment.

Right then, as Firestar, like the many other cats, was leaving the odd scene, there was a hoarse cry from high above him. Firestar glanced up carelessly, knowing it was just a crow, but he was surprised to find the deep blue skies empty. Instead, the only thing he could see was a single black feather, tumbling and swirling in the air as it gently blew down to Firestar, and landed just in front of his paws.

Firestar stared at it, lip curled, eyes blank.

Just like his mind.

* * *

  
**Wow! Okay, that was a lot. I deeply apologize if anyone is confused, I hope all will be answered soon (unless my ratty brother gets onto the computer again xD). So just for anyone who doesn't get the Bird thing, remember when Firestar and Graystripe arrived, they came through the white portal from the puddle and were new arrivals? Well, the same thing happened to Bird. It happens in the Second World all the time, when a new cat finds the puddle. But why were all the cats disappointed by the news that she was a rogue, not a Clan cat? And how will Firestar regain his memories? After all, he has to remember them, since he has to live, because the Second Arc of "Warriors" has to happen.**

Right?

Haha, who knows what I'll do? ;P Anyways, thanks a lot for reading, you all are awesome. I hope to be back soon. Byas! :D


	14. A Friend, Darkly

**Hiya people! Well, I must admit, I am guilty of something. I would have posted this chapter three days ago, since it was done and ready to go, but I chose to save it until today so that I could share something cool with ya'all- it's my birthday today!!! :D Yes, I turned 14. :D :D :D So wish me a happy birthday if you like my stories, and thanks for reading- u all are awesome lol. :)**

**Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me!!!!!  
**

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: A Friend, Darkly**

Although Firestar did not remember that much about his day, the weariness in his bones told him enough, and yet the sun was not ready to sink below the horizon.

So he walked aimlessly across the field, among groups of cats who were lounging and talking. He didn't bother to try and talk to any of them, though, for he didn't think he was imagining their eyes burning holes into the back of his skull as he passed them.

But his heart longed for someone to talk to, and Firestar didn't see Spottedleaf anywhere, nor the furry gray tom- Graystripe, whom he missed in the way one misses a meal, though he wasn't sure why.  
However, Firestar did spot Icefeather, still alone, walking across the grassy field. Deciding to go over and talk to her now, Firestar switched directions and loped towards her.

When Icefeather saw him coming, she flattened her ears and turned away, striding determinedly the other way. But Firestar's powerful muscles loyally led him to match paces with the white she-cat, and he finally skidded to a stop in front of her, blocking her path.

"What?" she growled, when quite sure he wouldn't budge.

Firestar blinked at Icefeather, and tried to summon up the words to tell her what. But he knew nothing could explain all he confusion, the loss, the peace, and the longing he had felt in the past hour.

"Er," he said helplessly.

Icefeather glared at him. "Idiot!" she snorted, and tried to swerve around him.

She failed, however, as Firestar once again planted himself in front of her. He lowered his head, his eyes dark. "Don't," he told her. Part of his mind was happy to be with Icefeather again, a cat who his senses told him he could trust, and yet the other part was asking why he was here. He didn't really even remember her, barely knew her. But Firestar just had to talk to _someone_...

"Do you remember me?" Icefeather demanded, voicing Firestar's very thoughts.

Firestar blinked, his boldness flickering just a bit, as his mind spiraled into painful images, blurry and faint, swimming around in his empty head.

"No," he confessed after along moment.

Horror crept into Icefeather's eyes, and she took a slow step back from him. "I knew it," she said quietly, voice cracking.

Firestar's heart forgot to beat. "What do you mean?" he hissed, alarmed by that... _look_ in her eye.

Icefeather shook her head slowly. "No. Oh, please, no... let me be wrong..."

Firestar was trembling. "What?"

"Firestar," Icefeather said softly, staring at the grass. "I- I'm so sorry."  
_  
"What?"_ Firestar snarled, fear coupling with his frustration to make him angry.

Icefeather was silent, stone-still, still trying to grab a hold of whatever had shocked her so much. Firestar felt the painful aching in his mind again, and wished he could claw the answers out of her... he would, if he could.

He knew that much.

"I have to go," Icefeather told him in a strained voice, ducking aside. This time, she was able to get by.

"Icefeather! Please!" Firestar whirled around and pelted over to stop her. His breath coming in gasps, and he saw Icefeather's fur bristling. He looked up, and met her hard eyes. "I have to know... something. I- I'm very  
confused right now. I need help."

Icefeather gazed at him, sudden sadness darkening her eyes. "I tried to help," she said quietly. "I tried to help you, to give you advice, to help you survive this place. But I failed you. There is nothing more I can do." She  
blinked slowly. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and wretchedly pulled away. This time, Firestar let her go.

What did she mean? How had she helped him before? This was all so confusing...!

Right then, there was a rustling behind Firestar, and, almost hoping it was Icefeather, he turned around, but instead was greeted by the face of Spottedleaf and little Bird.

"Oh- hello," he said vaguely, clearing his throat and shaking himself.

"Are you alright?" Spottedleaf purred, her liquid amber eyes trying to drown Firestar in their warmth. But after his talk with Icefeather, he could no longer be dazzled by Spottedleaf's charm, and his earlier innocence, his naive thinking, had worn off. He could have been Firestar again. Yet he knew something was missing. But what? And _how_?

Sighing, Firestar just shrugged and looked at Bird. "Hello," he warmly greeted her, masking his inner storm of emotions to be friendly to the little black she-cat.

Bird nodded quickly and licked her ruffled chest fur.

"Where are you guys going?" Firestar meowed casually.

Spottedleaf stared, frozen, at Firestar, her eyes glazed. She seemed to be weighing her answers, and Firestar wondered why. "We're just going on a walk," she finally told him, curling her tail around Bird's tiny shoulders.

"That's nice," Firestar found himself saying, and he grew quiet. An awkward silence spanned out, enveloping the cool air like a stinky smell, with everyone left alone to boil their own thoughts. At long last Spottedleaf shattered the tense silence.

"We'd better be going," she muttered, nudging Bird along. Her face was blank, displaying no emotion, and her fur seemed less bright, and had a boring dull to it, like a dusty river.

"Yes," Firestar acknowledged, stepping aside and clearing his throat. It had grown a bit easier- the burning questions lapping at the inside of his mouth, always pounding at that white, blank wall- for they were not quite as intense when he was calmer. Yet they were still there, and Firestar was pretty sure the answers lurked in the mind of that beautiful tortoiseshell. Only, he wasn't decided if this was good or bad.

"Bye," Bird squeaked as Spottedleaf hurried her along the grassy hills, where Firestar gazed after them thoughtfully. He wondered where they were really going, and then sighed, shoulders heaving, to go find a place to sleep.

Firestar would never see Bird again.

* * *

**Wow. Does anyone know where this is going? What is going to happen to Bird? Well... okay, heavy stuff, I know you're most likely confused, but all I am allowed to say is, things will come together soon. You all are terribly tolerant with me, thank you so much, and I promise to update soon as possible. :)**

**Anyways, I thought a present from me to you all would be to post on my b-day, so yeah, I'm a big little 14 year old now. So many people have wished me a happy b-day and sung it (four times, in fact, in different classes) and one of my friends even wrote "happy b-day" on my handsin marker lol, so it's crazy, but I wanted to share it with my dear readers. Alright, I better go. See ya, and have an awesome middle-of-the-week!!!:D **


	15. Borrowed Time

**If you are reading this, I welcome you back. It's been about two weeks, I think, and I know everyone here is ready for another chapter. I am so excited to finally reach this point in my story- things really pick up, and things will hopefully start to make sense. But better than that, we get to finally encounter an old, beloved character we haven't had much time with recently, and I was more than happy to bring him in again. Thank you to everyone who's reading this, and please tell me your opinions. This story has reached it's critical point, and your support is one of the most important things an author could ever dream of having. I hope you all enjoy it. =)**

* * *

Chapter Fifteen: Borrowed Time  
  
Emerald green eyes narrowed against the sky, Firestar padded into the lush green grass. The sun was sheepishly rising, after a long sleep, and the moon was long faded.

He hadn't slept well last night. Dreams of Bird and Spottedleaf and that same blank, white wall mingled in his blurred mind and made a confusing mess. But that was all behind him now. It was a fresh day, and though he had no idea what to do with it, he was ready for anything.

Masses of cats were walking around. Some were sunning themselves in the glorious beams of the golden sun; others were simply sprawled out, fur blending easily with the grass, and sleeping peacefully. Even more talked, or groomed, and others just roamed quietly.

Firestar knew many of the cats in the crowd, though, in a puzzling, frustrating manner, he wasn't exactly sure how. It was just like how he knew his paws were furry- he just automatically knew these things.

And there was another cat, another furry face, that Firestar's heart longed to see. A cat named Graystripe.

Firestar knew that he and Graystripe were good friends. At least, he assumed that. And although the thoughts of this cat were blurry and faceless, the strong feelings that soared towards this cat were unmistakable. And he missed him terribly, knowing, somehow, that he hadn't seen him in ages.

Firestar pounded along the grassy turf, relaxing as his paws danced and invisible wings stretched out so he almost soared like a flaming bullet across the fleeting ground. He felt so at ease, so natural here, that he had no doubts that this place was his home. He couldn't remember any other place, so that was enough evidence for the tom.

"Firestar," came a rumble. Firestar slowed his pace and wrinkled his nose, trying to place the scent of his visitor before turning to meet their face.

"Oakheart," he realized. Once again, part of his mind hurled itself at that same blank wall, scratching and biting to tear away the truth, to know exactly how he knew this cat, for he hadn't spoken to him before. At least, not as far as Firestar could remember.

"You seem a little lonely," Oakheart purred. His reddish-brown fur trembled over his rippling muscles, and amber eyes glinted down at Firestar.

Firestar blinked. "I'm alright, thanks though," he added. "So what's up?"

Oakheart shook himself. "Not much, just... roaming." He was silent for a moment, expression unfathomable. "Look, if there's anything I can do for you..." His pink tongue flicked against his gleaming white teeth as he talked.  
Firestar gazed at them for a moment, tail flicking back and forth.

"I'm alright," he repeated.  
_  
Who am I trying to convince?_

Then something occurred to him, just as Oakheart began to turn away.

"Wait."

Oakheart paused and turned his neck to stare curiously down at Firestar. "Yes?"

Firestar blinked again. "You know- you know my friend, Graystripe, right?"

Was it his imagination toying with his eyes, or did Oakheart stiffen?

"I'm familiar with that tom," Oakheart replied.

Firestar bit his lip. "Do you think you could find him for me- I really miss him. I just want someone to talk to."

Oakheart cocked his head. "There's plenty of us to talk to," he kindly offered, sweeping his tail and motioning to the many cats walking about.

Firestar shrugged. "I mean a close friend."

Oakheart frowned, looking like he wished he'd never approached Firestar in the first place. "Well," he mused. "I dunno, I'm not really supposed to... I mean, I'm just not sure-"

"Please?" Firestar realized he was begging, and only then did he understand how desperate and lonely his heart felt. "You told me just now that if there's anything you can do for me, you'd do it."

Oakheart sighed. Firestar watched carefully.

"Fine," he rumbled. "I'll see where he is."

Firestar's spirits lifted. "Thanks. And good luck with finding him," he added. "I haven't noticed that tom any where the eye can see."

Oakheart shot him a strange look, as if Firestar's words had struck him oddly. "Right," he coughed, and was gone.

Firestar sat down, re-winding the scene in his mind and scrolling back through it slowly. It had been a very odd conversation.

His flame-colored ears thought they caught vague snippets of risen voices arguing, but it must have been Firestar's imagination, for almost as soon as Oakheart had turned tail, the reddish-brown tom had returned, leading a furry gray cat.

"Graystripe." Firestar frowned. He had meant it to come out as excited, but it felt like a question as he spit it out, so his friend's name came out sounding like a label.

"Hi," Graystripe meowed.

"Thank you!" Firestar aimed at Oakheart, this time making sure he sounded excited.

"Whatever," the tom would have sworn Oakheart replied.

"What?"

"I said, any time," Oakheart mewed brusquely, and had disappeared into the grass.

Firestar stared at Graystripe, blinking. "Wow. Hey. It- um, it's felt like ages." He stood up and took a few loping steps over to his friend, pushing his muzzle into Gray stripe's fur.

Graystripe's yellow eyes seemed glassier than usual. "Yeah."

Firestar cocked his head. "Where have you been? I've barely talked to you recently."

Graystripe shrugged, twitching his whiskers. "With Silverstream."

The flame-colored tom frowned. "What's wrong?"

Graystripe glanced at Firestar, and, for the first time, Firestar noticed weariness written all over his friend's face. Something _was_ wrong, for sure.

And yet he got the opposite as an answer. "Nothing."

Firestar sighed slowly, frustration nipping at his mind. Nothing made sense anymore. Would he just have to accept that?

"Why hello there." This time, Firestar didn't need to wrinkle his nose to smell who this cat was. He knew that voice like a bright color in the sky.

"Spottedleaf?" he meowed as the beautiful tortoiseshell strolled over, linking her tail around his shoulders. Firestar hesitated, then tugged away from her grip.

Eyes narrowed, Spottedleaf stared at Graystripe. "What are you doing?" she asked in a voice like a melody.

Graystripe shrugged. "Oakheart brought me. Said Firestar wanted to see me."

Spottedleaf blinked. "And Silverstream let you come?"

Graystripe was quiet. "She argued with Oakheart, but... here I am."

Spottedleaf seemed angry, for some reason. "I see," she purred, turning to Firestar. "You two, come along. We've got somewhere to go."

Firestar had a weird feeling splashing at his paws. It was cold. Ice-cold.

"Wait- I've been wondering, um... well, how was your walk with Bird?"

Spottedleaf looked startled. "Fine."

Firestar flicked his tail-tip. Graystripe continued to stare blankly ahead of him. "Can I see her?"

Spottedleaf scowled at him now. "Let's go," she meowed, voice urging yet beautiful at the same time. Firestar found himself walking forward, like in a dream. Graystripe followed suit.

Suddenly Bluestar was there. Firestar was alarmed, for she seemed to simply jump out of the grass, like she'd been there all along. "Good morning," she warmly greeted them. Yet her warm voice couldn't quite melt the ice in her eyes.

"What's wrong with Graystripe?" Firestar asked softly.

Bluestar chuckled. All Firestar could do was stare at her eyes. Weird images flashed like lightning, of eyes the farthest thing from normal, gleaming from a blue-gray body...

"He's just sleepy, like I imagine you are. And if you come with us, you'll both feel better in moments," she promised with a kind smile. Spottedleaf mirrored the smile.

Firestar flicked an ear. Around them, cats had stopped ambling so much, and were now watching, eyes flickering. They looked eager, for some reason. Almost the same kind of excitement as when Bird had first arrived.

"O- okay," Firestar choked, touching his tail to Graystripe's flank.

Bluestar smiled again.

"Wait!" came a sudden cry.

Startled, Firestar spun around to see an icy-white blur galloping towards them. In a flash of long white ears and a bushy tail, Icefeather was standing before them, eyes frantic.

"Bluestar," she meowed, talking so fast, it seemed like the words were tripping over themselves in the eagerness to escape her mouth. "Wait."

Bluestar looked aggravated. "We've established that."

Icefeather's chest was rising and falling quickly, and she took a deep breath to calm herself. "Bluestar," she murmured, ears flat, as she stepped close to the blue-gray queen. She paused, and glanced at Firestar. Blue eyes met green, and a million things were said in that silent exchange.

"What?" Bluestar frostily prompted.

Icefeather looked back at her. "Please," she asked softly. "Give them one more day," she whispered, voice barely audible.

A snap of fear coursed through Firestar. What did she mean?

"Why should we do that? We've-" Bluestar snarled, then stopped, lowering her voice. Firestar thought he heard her say, "We've waited long enough!", but he couldn't be sure.

Icefeather took a shaky breath. "All I'm asking for is one day. Let them have one more day of peace."

Bluestar's eyes were narrowed. Spottedleaf's tail was lashing, a bit of fur spiking along her graceful shoulders. And all the other cats had slowed to a stop, and were all tuned in to the mysterious conversation unfolding before them.

"Fine," Bluestar spat, rearing up and looking disgusted. All the other cats looked annoyed at once, and Firestar was left out of the puzzle, beyond bewildered. He was scared.

"I'll keep an eye on them for you," Icefeather added, smoothing out her voice. "They'll be fine."

And suddenly, all the other cats started walking again. Any sign of annoyance was blotted from the air, and Bluestar's eyes were warm again. Spottedleaf looked like her normal, loving self. Firestar glanced wildly at Graystripe, then Icefeather. _What in StarClan had just happened?_

* * *

  
**Hmm, that's very strange... ha, and for those of you are are wondering, the long-lost character I was talking about was not Oakheart, but Graystripe. But he isn't acting like Graystripe. What's going _on_ here?**

Guess you'll have to wait until next chapter to know more. :)  



	16. Never Lost

**Aghhaa, _choo!_ God, I've been feeling sick today- the day after Christmas, too! The irony... ahh, but my nasty encounter with the bathroom confirmed a day locked in my room, a terribly boring and empty experience. Which also meant tons of time to write, which no writer can resist, no matter our temperature, lol. So I was able to post the sixteenth chapter, and through my fuzzy head, I think things are catching up. It's good to get my minds- and my stomach- off of things with the world of, well, Two Worlds and the rapidly-approaching climax. So thank you, for reading this, and I hope you'll care to review... I've heard _reviews _are the best way to chase off a particularly nasty bug. ;P**

_Disclaimer_: I'm a sick innocent, not Erin Hunter, thank you very much, and I own nothing. (:  


* * *

Chapter Sixteen: Never Lost 

"Have a- a nice day," Bluestar purred to Icefeather, stalking away. Spottedleaf nodded to Icefeather, then turned to give Firestar a rasp over his ear with her soft, pink tongue.

For some reason, he pulled away.

Spottedleaf stood, frozen, and stared at him. He instantly regretted the decision, wondering if he'd caused her pain, but instead her eyes stayed painfully clear as she just walked away after Bluestar.

As soon as they had disappeared, Icefeather whirled on Firestar, eyes blazing. "Come on!" she hissed.

Firestar fell back, knocking into Graystripe, who hadn't said a word during the whole strange conversation. "W- what?" he gasped.

Icefeather glanced quickly around, then kicked him up, tail lashing. "Walk normally, act like I'm not talking to you," she whispered in his ear, tickling his ear-fur.

Trembling now, Firestar nodded, and began to walk, nudging Graystripe along with him.

"What was that all about?" Firestar mumbled from the corner of his mouth.

Icefeather's eyes darted to the side, then she gave her ruffled white chest-fur a couple licks. She did not answer his question.

"Just come with me. I promise everything will be clear... soon."

Firestar continued walking with Icefeather, shaking every time one of the cats, milling about, walked near and smiled at them. Icefeather acted normal, and by the cloudy look in her blue eyes, she was thinking to herself.

"Graystripe? You alright?" Firestar meowed to his furry friend.

It disturbed him, how the gray tom was acting more like a- a puppet, than a cat. It was like he was hardly there, not noticing anything going on around him.

"Please answer me," he pleaded, matching strides with the large tom.

Graystripe's head rocked back and forth, back and forth, tail twitching. He said nothing.

Firestar blinked rapidly. "Icefeather?"

"Keep walking."

He took a deep breath. "Why did you tell Bluestar to give us one more day?"

Icefeather was silent, striding behind Firestar, face troubled.

"What are they going to do to us?" Firestar meowed, voice trembling. He fought to control it, but to no avail.

Still silence. Silence, silence, silence. That was all that surrounded him now. No answers. No noise. No understanding. Just silence. Cold, bitter silence.

"Tell me!" Firestar roared, whirling and unsheathing his claws, tail bristling and eyes flaming.

Icefeather gazed sadly at him. "Firestar-"

"Are they planning on killing us?" Firestar demanded, voice breaking, as he tried to stare fiercely into Icefeather's eyes. But he was even more frightened to see his fear reflected in her blue eyes. Icefeather was a warrior, a  
fighter, she was never scared. And now, to find his only friend frightened... it was like his last flame of hope had been doused with water.

Firestar hadn't realized how fast and far they'd walked, and he was startled to hear a quiet rushing noise behind him. But before he could turn, he was startled by something Icefeather did.

"Firestar," she meowed, voice steady. "I'm sorry."

And then, her claws glinted in the sunlight as she raked them across Firestar's face, letting out a furious yowl, and knocking her body into his. Shocked into freezing, Firestar was unable to fight against her, and he was taken by surprise- she was incredibly strong for a she-cat. As scarlet blood dripped into his eyes and made then sting, he cried out.

Abruptly, he felt himself falling, and he was suddenly enveloped by shockingly cold water. He gasped and sputtered, his face burning, his lungs scorching, as he gulped down water. Flailing helplessly, his mind scattering in hundreds of shocked directions, he felt his world splintering. Was Icefeather a traitor? Why was she trying to murder him?!

Slowly, Firestar remembered the rushing noise, and realized he must have fallen into a creek. Funny. He hadn't noticed it before. Yet somehow in his water-clogged mind he remembered Spottedleaf telling him about more water in the Second World. Wait- what?

In the murky, muddy depths of the creek, odd things began to happen. Beautiful lights began glowing, and a soft music stroked his ears. He stopped struggling, the bubbles beginning to vanish, as he floated there, eyes slowly shutting. He could hear nothing- the world down here was amazingly quiet. It was soothing, and as the soft lights intensified and began sparkling quicker, he knew he was dying.

But then, the really weird things started happening. Watery images began floating past him, like ghosts, whirring gently and almost seeming to sing quietly. A fenced-in garden, a canopy of trees calling him in... a fierce gray kitten, and suddenly there were many cats, all staring in astonishment at a blue-gray she-cat standing next to a small flame-colored kitten.

Firestar blinked, something flickering in his mind. He watched as the floating image faded, and suddenly more images flitted before him, dancing and twirling like grass...

A pretty sand-colored she-cat, a lost Clan under the thunderpath, a huge, scowling tabby, the beating heart of battle, the soft cries of loved ones in pain. Firestar watched as the flame-colored kitten grew, laughing and jumping and fighting... There was a shaggy black she-cat, a limping gray cat carrying herbs in her gentle mouth, the howls of angry dogs, golden flames devouring his home... and finally, a little black cat swiping at the flame-colored cat, eyes burning with hatred. The flame-colored tom knocked the cat down, body scarred and chest bloody.

And then, the cat did a strange thing. It left the war waging behind him, of tons of struggling cats attacking strangers with teeth-studded collars, and padded towards Firestar. Suddenly, it walked out of its flickering images, and everything around Firestar darkened. The fleeting images died away, the lights were smothered. All that was there was Firestar and the flame-colored tom.

The cat walked right up to Firestar, his green eyes gentle and loving, his fur rustling and glowing in sunlight from some other world. He stared Firestar in the eyes, face curling into a smile.

Firestar felt oddly calm, and at peace, as he stared back at the flame-colored tom. "Who are you?" he meowed. He knew he was surrounded by water, yet it seemed that didn't matter. He wasn't drowning. He was free of the pain of water clogging his chest.

The flame-colored tom gazed at Firestar. "I am your past, present, and future, Firestar."

Firestar blinked slowly, spine tingling. "I don't understand," he whispered.

The tom was silent, face full of love and happiness, and leaned forward to whisper in Firestar's ear. "Do you remember me?"

Firestar fought the wave of frustration and confusion that threatened to engulf him. "No! I don't remember anything!"

The cat seemed unstirred by Firestar's grief. "Think, Firestar. You must remember. You must try," he softly urged, emerald eyes overwhelmingly warm.

Firestar shut his eyes tight, shaking his head, his mind spinning. "Please..."

He opened his eyes, and suddenly the tom was swimming in front of his face. "We are one," he breathed.

Suddenly, the calm and the quiet was destroyed. Water surged and snarled and socked Firestar in the chest, knocking him through the dark depths. The flame-colored tom disappeared, gazing after Firestar, and then, in a rush of pain and fury, something smashed into Firestar's head.

"NO!" he screamed, all the images blurring together into a wild storm, when suddenly teeth sunk into his soaked skin, and he felt himself being dragged...

"Firestar!" somebody screamed.

Firestar gasped and shuddered, rolling and tumbling, until he came to a stop. His heart was racing, the blood was roaring in his ears. He let out a cry...

"Firestar!" a white she-cat whispered into his ear.

He slowly opened his eyes. A strange feeling engulfed him, a flame was lit in his heart. It glowed and radiated, threatening to burst him with its glorified warmth. He turned his blazing eyes towards Icefeather, and he stood  
up. The world was no longer spinning. It was clear, all abundantly clear. He remembered now- things were more clear than he could ever recall. All the fog had been destroyed, he was _one!_

"I am Firestar, leader of ThunderClan!" he snarled. "And I will _never_ lose myself again!"

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**Haha, this is _way_ cool. I'm so excited to finally be getting this out... I hope no one's confused. If you are, feel completely and utterly free to mention in a review or PM, and I shall do my best to explain. Now, ahh, aggh _choo!_ God, I'd better get back to my bed... see you all in the next update. I hope those reviews get me feeling better fast!! lol ;P **


	17. Shadow Rising

**Hello my readers! I'm happy to be back, and a belated Happy New Year, lol :) Hope everyone's doing great, and I'm gonna shut up now, cuz this chapter is probably my favorite and needs to be read now! Think of all the dark hints... of all the appreension and forshadowing and terror and confusion... and read. It will all become clear, because this is the chapter wherre all is suddenly brought into startlingly clear focuse. I hope I don't kill anyone with the truth. So thanks for reading, drop in and tell me what you think, reviews are very important to the author. Haha and btw I feel much better, thanks to everyone who wished me better :D Have fun reading~~**

Disclaimer: I own nothing!

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Chapter Seventeen: Shadow Rising 

"Firestar?" Icefeather croaked, voice cracking with relief. "Do you-"

"I remember everything, Icefeather," Firestar rumbled, eyes blazing. "I remember everything. Where is Spottedleaf? I'm going to _destroy_ her- she _stole my memories_- and _you_!" he said suddenly, whirling on her. "You tried to murder me!"

"No!" Icefeather hissed. "I would never kill you, Firestar." She took a shaky breath, and something in her voice made Firestar trust her.  
"Explain _everything_," he growled, tail lashing.

Icefeather's eyes were wide. "Firestar," she meowed, voice quiet. "You are in great danger here."

Fear kindled in Firestar's heart, and he stared at her. "Explain."

She gazed at him. "You aren't the only one here," she murmured. "Graystripe needs to hear this, too." She paused and turned around; Firestar noticed his old friend sitting motionlessly, staring at the ground.

"What is wrong with him?" Firestar whispered.

Icefeather shook her head slowly, then walked towards Graystripe. "I'm sorry," she murmured, and suddenly, her fur bristling, she unsheathed her claws and raked them across Graystripe's face. The furry tom let out a howl of pain, and suddenly Icefeather shoved him into the creek.

"Wha- you piece of _foxdung_-"

"I swear this will all make sense soon!" Icefeather urged, staring anxiously into the water. It was only then that Firestar really noticed the creek- it had indeed been a creek Icefeather had shoved him into. It was shadowy and  
ran quickly, carving past rocks and sticks like liquid glass. Firestar glanced around them- he was surrounded, as usual, by a field of endless, lush grass.

It danced with a gentle wind curling around them, and in the distance, gentle mountains sloped from the ground, nearly scraping the beautiful, jay-bird-blue sky.

Abruptly, there was a spluttering sound, and two heads turned to see a furry gray head poking from the glassy depths.

"Graystripe!" Firestar gasped, leaping towards his friend, only to be beaten by Icefeather, who sunk her teeth into the tom's scruff, and, with an incredible burst of strength, somehow managed to drag him out. To Firestar's astonished eyes, the silver water droplets on Graystripe's thick fur vanished instantly, and in seconds, it was as if he'd never been pushed into the creek.

The other thing Firestar saw was that there were absolutely no marks of where Icefeather had clawed his face. He looked- well, alive.

"Graystripe! Mate, are you okay?" Firestar croaked, stepping uneasily towards his friend.

Graystripe lifted his head, eyes clear and burning. "Firestar!" he gasped, rushing towards the flame-colored tom and shoving his muzzle into Firestar's neck, purring with relief. "Firestar, I- I feel so amazing- I remember things..."

Firestar rasped his tongue over his friend's face, heart singing. Thank StarClan, Graystripe was _back_...

"What is going on here?" Graystripe hissed, staring at Icefeather. "Are you one of them?"

Firestar quickly stepped next to Icefeather, placing his tail on her shoulder. "Graystripe," he murmured. "Icefeather... is a friend. I know we can trust her." He turned slowly, and met Icefeather's eyes. There was a brief moment of silence.

"Firestar, Graystripe," Icefeather whispered. "I owe both of you so, so many words... I should have fought harder, told you more before now, because I almost lost two more lives. Because I was a selfish coward!" Her eyes blazed like sun on a sheet of ice.

"What do you mean? We have to understand!" Firestar urgently told her.

Icefeather flattened her ears. "There isn't much time... one of them will find out soon... I must talk quickly now-"

"Then talk!" Graystripe demanded.

Icefeather took a shaky breath. "Where am I supposed to begin?" she growled to herself, a deep sigh clawing her chest. "Okay... I guess I should start with the beginning of the end. When I was a young rogue, living with  
Nightblaze, I was content. But like I've told you, Firestar... he gave his life up for me, in that snowstorm. And years later, I found his head swimming in a strange pool of water. He was alive, and looked happy, so I touched the water... and entered the Second World.

"I- I told you a story before, Firestar," Icefeather meowed roughly. "But I lied. I left out parts. It was all for my sake, because I was such a selfish fool. But I don't care what they do to me now. I have to help you. And you have to know everything." She bit her lip. "I discovered their secret, that these cats..." Icefeather froze, trembling, and Firestar wanted to comfort her, yet found himself locked in terror. What? What would she say next? These were the  
words he so desperately wanted, needed, even...

"Firestar, Graystripe," Icefeather continued, voice no longer trembling. "These are no cats you have come to. These are _murderers_."

_Murderers_. The word made an icy breeze in Firestar's heart, and it was his turn to tremble. Graystripe was locked in position, eyes wide and glazed in shock.

"They are monsters, who feed on the souls of pure, good cats. Clan cats, Firestar. They pretend to be your beloved, lost ones, and trap you, draw you in... and then, when you've agreed to stay, a cat is chosen to destroy your memories, and then... they kill you." Icefeather's voice was barely a whisper now, crouched over and ears flattened.

"They created a beautiful world to draw you in, and it drew me in. And as soon as I agreed to stay, they planned on taking my memories. But I did something no other cat had done before- I fought. I put up a good fight, too, because they never managed to steal my memories. But they did manage to lock me here, and I had no choice but to stay.

"And they did not eat me. Know why? I am a rogue. I am no pure-hearted Clan cat; they love you guys, ha, they get so excited. When they accidentally trap a rogue, or a loner, or even a lost kittypet, they just destroy you. You are of no use to them."

Firestar was shocked. Icefeather's words kept coming at him, more painful punches, more unbelievable truths peeled away and leaving bloody scars behind. And it was frightening- with each new, horrible word, the beautiful world around Firestar grew a little darker. No longer was the sky a beautiful blue, but instead, turning into an ugly gray. The lush grass was dying, turning brown and gray, and everything was still. Absolutely still, as if the whole Second World was listening to Icefeather's words.

"H- how long has this been going on?" Firestar croaked.

Icefeather shook her head. "Forever. Innocent souls, destroyed... but you may ask, I am a rogue. Why didn't they just destroy me the moment I got here- like what they did to Bird?" she snarled, voice harsh, and Firestar flinched. No... he remember the innocent little black kitten, with big, frightened eyes.... _no_.... Hatred began boiling in his heart. He was living with monsters. He had to stop it... had to...

"They thought I'd be useful. If they threatened me, they knew I would stay quiet about the truth, and keep this world more realistic. I never played into their disgusting games, though, but they kept me around. Thought it was funny to watch me die a little more each day in this terrifying world."

"I cannot tell you how many cats were taken. They take the souls to stay alive, you see, and it's terrible when they eat. It's like... like I can _feel_ the cat's pain. But it never occurred to me that I could stop it, that I could help these poor cats. Until Redheart."

Firestar's and Graystripe's ears pricked. "Th- that's what Bluestar called Firestar when we first got here!" Graystripe breathed.

Thunder rolled in the distance, and the world grew even more blacker.

"Yes. They are centuries and centuries old, they often get mixed up... and Redheart- he was the... the most recent cat they trapped. I remember watching him with eyes that knew his fate, and I felt just as evil as every one of them. And I cracked. I tried to help him.

"I- I don't want to tell you what happened, but- it failed. I failed. Horribly. They realized what I was doing, and they didn't even bother stealing Redheart's memories. They simply pinned him down, and took bites out of him... big, bloody, horrible bites... And they made sure I was there, watching, forced to watch. He screamed, and cried out... he screamed out, 'Save me, Icefeather, save me!'"

Icefeather stopped, eyes blank, and Firestar knew she was surrounded by the old memory that must have tortured her all these years. He shuddered, thoughts disturbed. How could anyone be so... _evil_? He hadn't ever imagined it to be that possible. Even the crimes of Tigerstar seemed petty compared to these disgusting monsters.

"I- I could do nothing. They tortured him, they ate him alive... and when they had ripped him apart, he was still barely clinging to life. And-" She faltered, then shakily began to speak again. "And they made me finish him off. I had to stop his beating heart." Icefeather sunk her head into her paws, quivering. Firestar and Graystripe could only stare in a horrified shock.

"And that," she whispered, "is what made me so determined to never fail again. I _hate_ these monsters, and I _will_ destroy them." Icefeather gazed at Firestar. "I won't let them kill you. Either of you. And that is why I risked everything now, because at first, I put it off. I was scared for myself, thought everything was okay. But then Silverstream stole Graystripe's memories, and I knew Firestar wasn't far off. I tried to form a plan, but I was too scared.

"And then... Bird came. And I saw her slaughtered." Icefeather shuddered. "And that was it. I will _never_ let them take another life. Starting _now_."

Firestar shivered. "I- I understand now. You couldn't tell me anything before... because they would have killed you. You were afraid..."

"I was a coward," Icefeather spat.

"No..." Graystripe murmured.

"Look, I just stole your memories back from the thief. You know the truth about... about the Second World. But now comes the hardest part." Icefeather slowly stood up, swaying. "Failure is _not_ an option."

Firestar gazed at her, then rushed towards Icefeather, shoving his face in her chest. "Thank you, Icefeather. Thank you..."

Icefeather just shook her head and stepped away. "No."

"I- I'm sorry, but I have- well, about a thousand questions, but I have to start with one," Graystripe whispered. "Why did you claw us before shoving us into that creek?"

"That creek," Icefeather meowed softly, "is the water that stole your memories, and it can also restore them. And blood is the key- I had to offer some of each of your blood for it to work. I'm sorry about that part..."

Graystripe shook his head, eyes swirling.

"Now what?" Firestar croaked.

Icefeather stared at Firestar. "I-" she began, but was cut off.

Silent as death, several cats had crept up on them. Now, Graystripe, Icefeather, and Firestar were surrounded by a crowd of furious, hungry-looking cats, who Firestar now knew weren't really cats, but monsters cloaked in the skins of his beloved friends.

"Greetings, Icefeather," came a silky hiss. Firestar stiffened as he saw Bluestar approach them in the circle. Her expression was beyond fury- she was so full of hatred, of anger, that no words could truly trap how furious she was.

"You," Icefeather growled. Graystripe and Firestar stood tense, tails lashing and ears flattened.

Bluestar sighed. "What have you done, Icefeather?"

Icefeather lifted her head proudly. "I have done the right thing, you monster. No longer will innocent cats be murdered by your greedy, disgusting claws."

Bluestar sighed again, shaking her head as if regretful. "I... didn't want things to end like this, Icefeather."

Icefeather just stared furiously back at Bluestar, eyes chips of hatred.

There was a sudden silence, as thunder shook the dark skies again, and bits of lightning flickered in the thick, black clouds blocking out the stormy sky.

"Kill them," Bluestar growled.


	18. Night has Fallen

**Hey everybody, it's great to be back. I'm sorry about that cliffhanger... I have a tendency for those, don't I? Ah, I'll have to work on that. But thanks to all the readers, and I hope you like how it's going. And now? Let the battle between shadow and fire begin.**

Disclaimer: I own nothing of this =)

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Chapter Eighteen: Night has Fallen  
  
Shock bit Firestar in the tail as suddenly, all the cats were snarling and bristling, and then, there was a furious wave of furry bodies that yowled and screamed as they surged into the three cats in the middle.  
"No!" Icefeather snarled, swiping and biting at any cat she could get a hold of.

"Firestar! What are we gonna do?" Graystripe screamed as he swatted at a silver tom.

Firestar was panicking. This was wrong. These were the cats he'd lived with ever since falling into the puddle, almost trusted, almost grown to like. And now they were going to kill him. What was even harder to accept, these cats were achingly familiar- cats like Lionheart and Whitestorm dove towards them, screeching and clawing- and they were driving to kill.  
_  
They aren't my old friends. They're impostors. They're murderers!_

Yet it felt so wrong as old Yellowfang bounded up to him, eyes demented, face bent into an ugly cry, and he had to claw her face. It was like fighting family- and no matter how much the sane part of his brain screamed against her, he couldn't accept this.

"Fight, you fool!" Icefeather yowled, battling a huge tabby.

Firestar took a deep breath as Yellowfang's black face swam before him, and his muscles rippled as he tried to bite her, claw her.

But he knew it was overwhelmingly helpless. More and more angry cats surged forward, and no matter how many he bit and clawed, there was always two more in its place. There was no way they could fight their way out of this.

"Icefeather!" he cried.

"Keep fighting!" she screeched, eyes glowing with happiness as she raked and bit at the monsters. With a pang of realization, Firestar knew that Icefeather was battling with all her bottled-up bitterness and hate, and the each new wound on these beasts was like one more innocent life avenged. This was what Icefeather had been dreaming of for ages.

But her dream was rapidly turning into a nightmare. Firestar was engulfed by fighting bodies, and in sudden seconds, he was pinned down. So was a wounded Graystripe, and even Icefeather, after protesting and fighting, was locked down.

The cries of war had diminished, and now the darkened Second World was disturbingly quiet.

Slowly, the thick mob of cats began to part, and Bluestar strode down to the middle, to tower over the three prisoners. At her shoulder, the only signs of her anger being her burning amber eyes, was Spottedleaf. Firestar tried to snarl at her, but found his head being pressed into the dead grass by one of the cats pinning him down.

"You three are so terribly foolish," Bluestar rasped, voice barely louder than the wind. Her blue eyes sparkled at Firestar, and her ears were slicked back in a scowl. "I never wanted a struggle. I wanted it to end peacefully... I suppose I made the mistake of trusting _you_, for the second, and the last, time." She stared at Icefeather when she said this, and fear bit Firestar's heart when he measured the amount of hatred boiling in Bluestar's expression.

"Peacefully?" Icefeather spat, mouth full of dirt. "Are you kidding me? You are a monster, there is no peace to your ways-"

"My ways," Bluestar growled, "keep me and my family alive."

"It's disgusting!"

"It's the circle of life," Bluestar snapped. "You kill to eat, as well."

"We don't murder, or play with our food, or torture it!" Icefeather hissed, chest heaving. "We do it properly, and give thanks, while you... you...." Her voice trailed off, and she seemed unable to complete her sentence.

"Oh, well," Bluestar laughed. "I suppose you'll never understand. I never truly believed you belonged here- I always thought you'd be the one to try and make a change. And it's cost you so much... and it will cost these two so much, as well," she added, staring at Graystripe and Firestar through unblinking eyes. "Look at these cats, Icefeather," she breathed. "And apologize. Because you just sealed their death."

"_No_!" Icefeather screamed, struggling madly, face pale.

A small smile just spread over Bluestar's face, and she looked over at Spottedleaf. "It is time."

Spottedleaf nodded quietly, and stepped daintily over to Firestar. The cats pinning him down released their weight, and roughly sat him up.

Firestar gazed into Spottedleaf's face. He supposed he really shouldn't call her Spottedleaf anymore. She was an impostor- she was an It. Yet, even in this time of fear, he couldn't deny her beauty. The fury making her amber eyes radiant only intensified her prettiness, and Firestar had to tear his gaze away. He hated himself for describing his murderer as beautiful.

"I do love you, you know," Spottedleaf whispered in his ear.

Firestar stiffened, staring firmly at the ground. Yes, he slowly realized. Spottedleaf- this _monster_- did love him. But like a greedy bird loves her stolen, shiny objects. And her love was so intense, it would end with him dead.

Slowly, something terrifying began to happen. Firestar watched, transfixed, in a horrified silence, as the skin and fur on all of the cats around him began to peel away. Like leaves on a tree, like the moss on a rock, it fell away and vanished before hitting the ground.

Something was unfolding. As the skins of the killers was stripped away and seemed to melt away into nothingness, the Second World was suddenly dark. Time seemed to have been smashed to pieces, and nothing made any sense anymore.

The long shadows cast by no moon were suddenly smothered across the ground, stretching out and groping and snarling.

"Icefeather- what's happening?" Graystripe choked as he, Firestar, and the white rogue huddled into a small, helpless group and watched the horror unfold in a screeching mass of black bodies and wisps of thick smoke and  
gleaming red eyes that looked hauntingly familiar.

"The Shadows," Icefeather whispered. She was frozen, eyes wide, body locked in a terrified awe.

"Wh- what?" Firestar gasped, the very word sending chills down his rattling spine.

Icefeather was trembling, and to see his only ally here, stripped of her courage and naked of her strength, was more terrifying than Firestar could ever imagine. It was like the moon being suddenly stolen of her milky light, and she could no longer guide him on his darkest of nights.

This nightmare was by far his darkest night.

The writhing mass of shadows twirled and danced a slow, disturbing jig that made Firestar sick. At once, the black nothingness had surrounded him, and it somewhat resembled fog- but inside it was wispy bodies. Like ghosts, there were weak outlines of bodies in the black mist, but no body Firestar ever thought could exist. And there were eyes- thousands of eyes, all red like the blood that throbbed in his ears, all staring frostily at them.

There was a silence, and yet it didn't feel like silence. Firestar thought he heard far-off screams, the splatter of blood, the ripping of claws into flesh-

"You see?" spoke the shadows. Firestar jumped, and pressed against Graystripe, who was trembling like a dying mouse. The voice- it was like StarClan, with many voices speaking as one. Yet it was so much more dark, more hellish, that he knew these monsters were the very opposite of StarClan, the only match the starry ancestors could dream of having- in their nightmares.

"See what?" Firestar whispered.

He thought he felt a wind against his shoulder, but that wasn't possible.

"We are shadows," the voice breathed. "We are the dark that eats at every traitor's heart. We are the wings of death that rip evil souls from their earthly body. We are the starless nights, the echo of a scream- we are your worst nightmare."

Firestar swallowed hard, shakily rasping a tongue around his lips. "We have no business with you," he croaked. "Let us go. All of us."

There was a soft laugh, and that time, it came from just one shadowy body. In a flash, Firestar knew this was the shadow that used to be Bluestar's impostor. "Foolish cat," it hissed. "Once a soul dips their claws into the black sky of this world, it does not leave."

"You tricked us here! You can't do this!" Firestar cried, fury and fear coursing in his veins as it destroyed the ice that had coated over his emotions. He cracked free, writhing and snarling, and whirled at the shadowy fog.

The harsh laughter was all around him as the he fell onto the dead grass. Of course. Can one catch the smoke? Is it possible to bottle the fog?  
_  
No._

"NO!" Firestar bellowed, jumping up and finding himself surrounded by the black fog. The eyes glowed and sparkled with amusement as he felt invisible claws stroking his pelt.

"Firestar!" Graystripe shouted. "Get out of there!"  
_  
It's useless, you know,_ something whispered in his ear. _You will die._

"Let go of me!" Firestar screamed, throwing himself towards Graystripe and Icefeather, out of the circle of black fog. Immediately, he choked, like tar had been dropped from his throat, like rocks had been lifted off his  
shoulders.

He tumbled into Icefeather and knocked the long-eared she-cat down. She gasped in pain as her chest hit his head, and she rolled away, shaking herself and looking around, dazed.

"Icefeather-" Firestar whispered, heart thudding, breath coming fast.

A startlingly bright flash of gold split the sky in half, a powerful, answering rumble shaking the gray mountains in the distance. There suddenly was wind, and it coursed and bit at Firestar's face. Dead leaves and grass and dirt began to fly in the air as his fur shook wildly.

"You can't out run a shadow!" someone yowled into the wind. A shuddering burst of hatred made Firestar's blood turn to flame as he reared up. Graystripe galloped to his side, breath coming in gasps, but his eyes bright with the fury of coming battle.

"Really?" Firestar spat.

"Now!" cried the shadow that was once Bluestar's impostor, and the shadows were weaving across the ground, whispering and crying.

Firestar reared back and tensed his muscles, his terror flamed into strength to race him away from these monsters, but a sudden cry sliced the air.

"Wait!"

The shadows ignored her until the lead shadow uttered a horrible, inhuman meow, and they all reluctantly stopped.

The lead shadow seemed to flicker across the dead grass to dance in front of the speaker: Icefeather. Firestar shivered, knowing how silly it was to be scared of something like smoke, of something that had no body; yet there was nothing funny about it. Not at all.

"What is it, child?" the lead shadow droned, voice scratchy yet wispy at the same time.

Icefeather swallowed. "Kill me," she breathed. "K- kill me; leave them alone-"

"You think we'll just stand here and slaughter one of you?" a shadow yowled.

"That would never be enough strength for all of us!" another hissed.

"Silence!" the lead shadow snarled, red eyes flicking around its followers before meeting Icefeather's eyes. "You are a fool to sacrifice yourself, Icefeather."

"Am I?" Icefeather took a deep breath, trembling. "I'm getting them out of here. I will not let you destroy them, like all the innocents before."

"It is impossible to escape this world," the shadow murmured, sounding amused yet impatient.

Icefeather's eyes hardened. She looked over to Firestar, and for a brief, tender moment, her wild ice-blue eyes met the flaming green eyes of her friend. A million things were exchanged; nothing that words could ever express.

There was a painful tingling in Firestar's stomach, and he flattened his ears.

Suddenly, Icefeather turned her head and bared her teeth at the lead shadow. "You two-faced son of a hound, I will outrun you, and I will destroy all of you- and free them from your disgusting, shriveled jaws!"

"What's she doing?" Graystripe hissed at Firestar.

"Why you-" the shadow snarled, and suddenly the whole flickering group of monsters were hissing, and it happened before Firestar realized it.

They all flew across to Icefeather. There was the harsh sound of claws ripping flesh, of bitter teeth sinking into warm skin, of deep red blood trickling quickly-

"Icefeather, _no_!" Firestar screamed.

He surged forward as the black shadows climbed furiously across each other to bite at Icefeather, to rip, to tear, to do anything to make her regret those words. Firestar choked as he fell into the black fog-like monsters, the bodiless red eyes flashing, the silver of claws appearing in the corner of Firestar's eye.

"Firestar, where are you?" Graystripe called. He was frightened.

"Stay where you are!" Firestar choked, shaking himself and stumbling over to the black heap where the shadows were killing Icefeather. It was disturbing, so bizarre and wrong. They made horrible groaning and muttering noises, and angry, hellish screams. But the worst sounds of all came from Icefeather-

"Get off of her!" Firestar bellowed, trying to rip the shadows away from his friend.

Suddenly, an achingly familiar pair of blood red eyes swam in front of Firestar. He knew at once this was the shadow of his Spottedleaf impostor.

"Get out of my way," he hissed at her, blood roaring in his ears, tail bristling.

"No!" the demon hissed, and a black, smoky paw came out of nowhere and raked across Firestar's face. He yelled out and fell back. Behind his attacker, he could see Icefeather struggling even more, the shadows and her blood painting her snow-white coat an ugly color...

The monster towered and flickered over Firestar, hatred in its eyes. "I offered you love," it whispered, voice seeming to come from the wind, the dead grass, the lifeless, gray clouds...

"You offered me death!" Firestar spat into its face, feeling warm blood begin to drip down his face. "I'd rather death than your love, you _monster_!"

The shadow's eyes gleamed, just like they had when it had looked like Spottedleaf. "Didn't your mother ever tell you to be careful what you wish for?" The shadow screeched and dove at Firestar, and he fell back, retching, clawing, crying, because he knew the end was near.

* * *

  
**And so the struggle between life and death continues... **


	19. Innocent Blood

**Wow. I'm just... wow. Do you guys realize what this means?  
The story is almost over. The mystery... almost complete. Their hellish adventure... almost dead.  
Or is it?  
If you're reading this, thank you so much, I love all you guys. I'm so excited to get this chapter out there, it's one of my favorites because it's so... groundbreaking. If that makes sense. Maybe you guys will understand later in the story... =)  
Thank you to all who reviewed, and trust me, the more reviews I get, the more likely I am to upload faster, so... :P  
Now where were we? Ah, yes...  


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Chapter Nineteen: Innocent Blood **

Firestar snarled at the shadow's face as it came down upon him, yowling and flying about like the wind. It laughed and sobbed as invisible claws reached out at him. Things were happening so slowly, Firestar knew he didn't have much more time-

"NO!" came a furious yowl.

Out of the foggy mass of shadows surrounding Firestar and his deathless attacker, a flurry of gray fur bowled into the blackness- Graystripe.

"Graystripe, help!" Firestar found himself gasping.

"Firestar!" Graystripe shouted over the yowls of the shadows, his yellow eyes blazing.

"Help me!" Firestar snarled as he struggled up, head throbbing and heart flaming. Graystripe met Firestar's eyes, and he nodded. For the first time in weeks, the two friends were one again. And as one body, fire and smoke leaped at the shadow, anger and hatred engulfing them as their mortal claws seemed to bristle into something more. The two friends fighting together were more powerful than the shadow expected, and to its shock, the two cats burst through the fog and raced towards Icefeather.

"We overpowered it!" Graystripe yipped in delight.

"For now!" Firestar cried. But his mind was already set on the terrible task before him: he had to get the shadows away from Icefeather. And a furious question still blazed his mind: why had Icefeather provoked the shadows like that?

"Get back here!" came a deep moan far behind them. It was the shadow of Spottedleaf's impostor, but Firestar's paws carried him swiftly. At last he was at Icefeather, Graystripe breathing raggedly at his heels.

Firestar ripped and clawed at the shadows, hissing and snarling. Graystripe beat his paws upon the dead grass to frighten the shadows away- they did anything, everything, to free their friend of the monsters.

Sensing a new, startling gleam of power and confidence in Firestar's furious strikes, the shadows slowly fell back, hissing and wailing, until they had retreated away from Icefeather. The white-furred she-cat was laying limp, eyes closed, her body ravaged and torn almost beyond recognition.

Firestar's throat burned, his eyes pricked with grief. "No... oh Icefeather, no..."

Graystripe's head bowed as his tail fell, and a cold wind whistled at their fur, making it dance and flicker. The shadows waited in a ring around the three cats, under the silent orders of the lead shadow, who watched the grieving Firestar with glitters of deep amusement in her red eyes.

Firestar shivered as he slowly bent his head down and rasped a tongue over Icefeather's face, the only part of her recognizable. It was mind-numbing, to see the cat who'd helped him, fought with him, talked with him, lying dead at his very paws.

"I'm so sorry, Icefeather," he whispered. "I could have prevented this."

To his horror, Icefeather's dull eyes slowly blinked. He recoiled and stared in shock as Icefeather's ravaged sides heaved with desperate gulps of air.

"The monsters left her alive on purpose," Graystripe softly realized, ears flattened.

Firestar cringed and bent down, struggling not to break, to breath into Icefeather's ear, "We are here."

Her ice-blue eyes, dead of the normal flame, slowly and painfully looked up at Firestar. She gasped, jaw weakly opening and closing.

"She's trying to say something," came a taunting voice. Firestar's head whipped up as he recognized the lead shadow's eyes glittering out at him. He slowly bared his teeth and lashed his tail, a strange, deep hatred boiling in his chest.

He looked back down at Icefeather, face blank as his snarl died. Graystripe continued to hiss at the shadows, looking almost as angry as Firestar felt.

"F- Firestar," Icefeather gasped, choking and retching. Firestar's eyes widened in horror as blood trickled from her throat, her mouth, and the steady stream of red that continued to fall from the many wounds dancing across her body.

"What is it, my friend?" he whispered, voice cracking.

The shadows all watched intently, eyes never leaving Icefeather and Firestar.

Icefeather coughed. "I- I had to do it," she whispered.

Firestar's heart trembled. He knew what she was talking about. "Why did you let them kill you?" he softly cried. "Why did you provoke them?"

Icefeather was silent. She swallowed hard, barely moving. Her breath came quicker now, the scarlet blood blossoming around her body. It shivered and seemed to beat with Icefeather's slowing heart.

"I had to save you," she struggled, blinking rapidly. "F- Firestar, there- there is one way out... of this hell..."

Firestar felt a sob tear his chest as he watched the struggling hero. "What, Icefeather?"

She shivered. "An innocent's fallen blood... will create the tunnel... to bring you back home..." She spoke in a hollow voice, like it was a rhyme long forgotten, a poem too rusty to complete...

Firestar slowly realized what had happened. Icefeather had sacrificed herself... to protect Firestar and get him and Graystripe home... But he felt confused and terrified. What did she mean? What tunnel? Had Icefeather sacrificed herself in vain?

It no longer mattered. It was done.

Firestar slowly bent down and caressed Icefeather's head. "Oh, Icefeather..."

Icefeather kept shivering, eyes going blank. Suddenly, the warmth began to leave her body, and Firestar opened his eyes and gazed into hers.

She was truly dead.

Firestar closed his eyes tight, and touched his nose to her cold, bloody head, between her ears. "Goodbye, my friend," he murmured. "You are truly a hero."

Graystripe gazed at Icefeather in shock. "She's- she's dead?" he choked.

At once, an excited, joyful cry went up in the shadows. They were cheering, crying and yowling in victory.

Fury coursed through Firestar's veins, and he flew across the dead grass under the dead, gray sky, and raked his claws into the foggy shadows. "Shut up, you monsters!" he screamed. "Shut up!"

They laughed, and began to mutter and hiss. Firestar's face drained when he realized they had just retreated to watch Icefeather die; now that she was taken care of, they could truly move in on him and Graystripe.

"Oh, StarClan, save us," Firestar breathed, not knowing why he was praying to his ancestors, under this starless sky, in this dead, twisted world.

"Firestar, look!" Graystripe suddenly cried.

Firestar slowly turned around, and all the shadows froze.

The deep, scarlet blood that had blossomed around Icefeather had fallen into a small puddle. It was shivering and quaking, and before Firestar's wide green eyes, it began to change.

"No," a shadow gasped.

The blood... Icefeather's blood... it was growing clear, silver, cold and crisp-

"Water!" Graystripe realized.

In an instant, everything clicked into place. Icefeather's words haunted Firestar's mind. _An innocent's fallen blood... will create the tunnel... to bring you back home... _

"Graystripe, jump into the puddle!" Firestar screamed. The wind was picking up, the dead grass swaying and shivering around them. Thunder slowly crashed high in the swirling, dead sky, and a flash of golden lightning ripped the sky in half.

"Are you crazy?" Graystripe yowled.

Firestar pelted towards his gray friend. "Do it!" he yowled, shoving Graystripe forward. The puddle was strange... it made no movement, and its reflections did not match those of this world... instead it depicted a forest, an achingly familiar place...

Anxious, furious, and disbelieving hisses rolled from the crowd of shadows. At once, with no order, they surged forward like rats, red eyes gleaming, battle cries ringing in the air, desperate and hungry and not going to fail this time-

Firestar's eyes looked at Icefeather one last time before the shadows tripped and streamed over her body, consuming the last of the most selfless cat he would ever know. Quickly he looked back and shoved Graystripe forward. Their paws touched the startlingly cold, bitter water, and everything was spinning at once.

Firestar was trapped in mid-air, a blank, white world surrounding him. He could still hear the cries of the shadows, and he flew madly, swimming, running, anything, to run on nothing, to escape from everything-

"What happened?" came a cry.

It was Graystripe, but Firestar could not see his friend. He couldn't see himself either; but there was something else. As the world around him grew quiet, and the cries of the shadows began to die away, Firestar's racing heart  
started to slow.

He took a deep breath, reaching into the deepest caves of his mind, his body, his soul. He swallowed hard and walked patiently, curiously forward.

Was it over? He was unsure. Firestar paused and pricked his ears; he could hear nothing. The silence was calm and welcome, he felt like he could fall asleep.

But his interest was caught by a swimming, floating image that looked like it was pinned up in the air. It was riffled by a wind Firestar could not feel, and he slowly gazed at it, emerald eyes widening.

It was home.

He could see the forest. Firestar's heart began to sing, his paws jumping excitedly, tail waving. He knew those trees; the gentle warm glow of the sun falling upon the soft, peaceful earth.

Was it possible? Firestar gazed at the image, knowing it was like the window Two-Leggeds put on their dens. Could he put all this behind him? Was there a peace, after all the hellish nightmares he'd gone through for countless weeks?

Firestar took a deep breath, closed his eyes, and slowly reached his head forward into the image.

At once, he was falling, and there was warm sun filtering into his closed eyelids, warming him from tail to nose; birds were tweeting softly, the forest singing softly, the wind brushing against the trees...

With a painful _slap_, Firestar found himself sprawled heavily onto the ground. His heart was pounding, his back throbbing...

And slowly, ever so slowly, he opened his eyes.

A beautiful world gazed back at him. Firestar stared in utter disbelief.

He was home.

A strange noise erupted from his throat, and Firestar realized it was a laugh; he hadn't laughed in such a long time, he'd forgotten how beautiful it felt.

Suddenly, Firestar leapt up and flicked around. "Graystripe?" he called hoarsely. "Graystripe?" His heart began to speed up. No... no, what if he'd lost Graystripe on the way home?

"Here."

Firestar blinked slowly, and gazed over to the lush trees, where a furry gray tom was slowly emerging. He was limping, but his eyes were bright, and his head lifted when he saw Firestar.

The two friends stared at each other for a long moment, words unable to express the joy and relief their hearts were singing right then. And at last, Firestar laughed and ran across to Graystripe, pressing into his friend's thick fur.

"I can't believe it!" Graystripe cried.

"We're _home_!" Firestar called to the forest, laughing and trembling. He knocked Graystripe over and batted at his head playfully, overwhelmed with joy. All the memories came flooding back... why, he had been on a hunt with his friend when they'd first found that cursed puddle...

Graystripe laughed and shoved Firestar off. "Get away, furball."

Firestar shook himself. "Great StarClan, I'll never be bored again. I'll love everyone, I'll cherish every day, I'll- oh, mousedung, I'll never,_ ever_ say I'm bored ever again..."

But Graystripe's look of amusement had died, and he looked sad. Slowly, Firestar came down from his excitement, and blinked. He had selfishly forgotten that it had cost the life of an innocent to get him here.

Slowly, he sat down next to Graystripe, and gazed at his paws. Both were quiet for a moment.

"How did she know there was a way out?" Graystripe murmured.

Firestar was quiet, and he swallowed. "I guess we'll never know," he replied softly.

Graystripe sighed. "We owe her our lives." He blinked and glanced over at Firestar. "Do you... do you suppose we'll ever... you know... see her again?"

Firestar frowned, and bit his lip. "I couldn't say," he meowed quietly. "There are so many things that... that happened... that I didn't understand."

Suddenly, among the quiet forest, came a furious scream.

Firestar and Graystripe gasped, jumping up, tails bristling. "What was that?" Graystripe hissed.

Firestar's green eyes were wide with disbelief. "StarClan, _no_!" he croaked.

He hadn't noticed that the puddle he and Graystripe had returned home from was still there. And spiraling from it were sinister curls of black smoke. Red eyes flashed under the surface of the water, and Firestar realized that the shadows were more powerful than he'd thought.

"How could they have followed us here?" Graystripe cried.

"I didn't think they could!" Firestar shouted. "Whatever we do, we_ can't_ let them in, Graystripe- they'll destroy our home!"

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**Ah-hem.... to be continued... :) **


	20. The Last Battle

**For the last time... hello, my readers. Let me warn you: this is gonna be a long author's note. There, I warned ya. :)**

**Wow. Can you believe it? We're really here. The final chapter in this story. I don't know what to say- I'm delighted to finally get it all out there, but I am going to miss this story. It's done. Over. It was so awesome to write. I hope people continue to read and re-read it, because so much work was poured into this, from more than one person. And I have tons of people to thank: my totally awesome reviewers, especially Macey-the-Invisible, Icethroat21, Chat et Chocolat, SheWhoRunsWithScissors, Spottedstarshell, Wolfstorm7, Shadowave, Horseloverheather, xXThunderspiritXx, and finally Anita Black. Wow, what a list. And it doesn't even scrape the many readers out there, so thank you, everyone, for as I've said before and will say again just to annoy you ;P, you guys are my fire, what gives me reason to write.**

**Also, this story would not have been possible without the help from my beautiful friend-in-real-life, who has an account on here, so I will call her by that name, Yuki'sRedMoon. She wished to stay a secret until the last chapter, and I promised her I'd do that. She helped create the character Icefeather and her background, and obviously, without my favorite character Icefeather, Two Worlds could't have come around. So a huge thanks to her, she's so amazing you'll never realize how amazing she is. =)**

**So finally, I have a last thing to add. I created a book-cover for this story, and all humbleness aside, I think it's awesome, so as my readers, I shall post the link on my account page, please, please, PLEASE go check it out after you finished this, I really want to see if anyone likes it!! :D  
****  
So anyhoo... you can go check it out, tell me if you think it captures the nature of my story, and if no one reviews about it or my story I shall go into a corner and never write again. ;P**

Alright... so by this point you've gone to the link, right? (Just nod your heads hehe) So I present to you... the final chapter... to Two Worlds.  


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Chapter Twenty: The Last Battle

As Firestar's sense of two separate worlds began to blur and twist, he saw the shadows begin to scream and groan, creeping from the puddle, struggling with all their might to escape their dead world and enter this new, young, living one...

Graystripe flew over to the puddle, trying to defend his home, scratching and biting and trying to keep the beasts in their own hell. They snarled and Firestar was about to go over and help when he froze as a smoky paw broke the surface of the cold water.

"No!" he bellowed. What was he going to do? _What to do?_

"_Firestar!"_

He blinked rapidly and whirled around. Who had called his name? He knew that voice...

There, in the darkness of the trees, stood a ghostly figure. Her beautiful, amber eyes glittered fearfully out at Firestar, and her pretty tortoiseshell coat seemed to glow...

"Spottedleaf?" he breathed, as the world seemed to slow, and he met eyes with his first love. It was so strange to see her, after being with the impostor Spottedleaf for so long...

Firestar galloped over to the clump of trees, and stared at her ghostly form. She looked up at him, eyes saying a thousand words, and touched her nose to his. For an instant, Firestar thought he felt something brush his nose, but he couldn't be sure.

"Be strong, Firestar," she whispered. "You know what to do."

"But I don't!" he gasped.

Spottedleaf blinked slowly, and gazed at something at her feet. Firestar glanced down as well, and saw that she was standing on a large stone, looking old and chipped.

"Yes," he realized, but when he looked up at Spottedleaf again, she was gone.

Behind him, Graystripe cried, "Firestar, it would be great if you could stop talking to the trees and help me!"

Firestar glanced at the stone, then at the sky. He knew what to do.

"Graystripe, come here!" he shouted. "I have an idea!"

The shadows were breaking even more out of the puddle, groping and hissing. Firestar swallowed hard and tore his gaze away from them, to gaze at Graystripe. "Hurry!"

Graystripe looked at his friend, then at the shadows, and back at Firestar. At last, he ran over the dirt and grass to screech to a stop next to Firestar. "What is it, then? It better be good, or else-"

"The stone!" Firestar interrupted.

Graystripe glared. "I know what a stone is, I-" He froze. "Of course! Firestar, come on!"

The two toms bent down and poured all their strength into shoving the stone out of the limp dirt. With a groan and a snap, the stone was rolling out of its spot, and the two friends rumbled it across the ground until it approached the screaming shadows groping from the puddle-

"Now!" Firestar cried.

They released the stone and it crashed into the puddle. A million screams erupted around them, and something burned as the puddle was shattered into wet, silver pieces, scattered everywhere and broken up for good. A bitter wind tugged at their pelts, leaves and dirt were kicked up, as the furious shadows were finally defeated.

Panting hard, Firestar and Graystripe were motionless for a moment as the water droplets began to fade, and at last, it was over.

Fire had won over shadow.

Shivering, Firestar sat down shakily, tail quivering, whiskers twitching. Graystripe swallowed hard and looked over at his friend, nudging the flame-colored tom gently in the shoulder.

All was quiet.

Firestar did not know how long he sat there, how long he gazed at the spot where the shadows had nearly escaped, the spot of the only other world he'd ever known. He'd gone through so much... come back with so much... Firestar thought back to before... when he'd actually been _bored_. Great StarClan, what a _fool_ he'd been.

He would never be that cat again.

A wind rustled the trees, and Firestar looked over. There, where the sunlight hit the ground directly and bathed everything in her soft golden glow, he could swear he saw the faint body of a familiar tortoiseshell. And there were others... a flash of blue gray fur, a tall white tom, a black she-cat with a twisted smile on her face...  
_  
Welcome back, Firestar,_ the wind seemed to breath, and a gentle warmth flowed through Firestar's body.

"Thank you," he whispered.

Suddenly, the faint, starry cats were gone, as there was a rush of paws. Firestar pricked his ears, his eyes widening. Graystripe slowly sat up, a smile spreading over his face.

And over the small slope came a lithe body of a she-cat. The sun made her a scorching silhouette, and Firestar squinted as she slowly approached him. At last, she came into focus, and Firestar gazed into her green eyes like he would never look away again.

"Sandstorm," he murmured, slowly getting up and brushing his muzzle along hers. He couldn't drink in her scent enough, his heart couldn't beat fast enough to gallop with hers...

"Firestar?" she meowed, blinking and looking confused. Other cats trotted over; Firestar's heart swelled to see all of their familiar faces... Longtail was striding up next to Frostfur, and Bramblepaw came padding up to Firestar.

"We have so much to tell you!" Graystripe breathed as he grinned at all of them. To Firestar's confusion, Sandstorm and all the others looked puzzled. He blinked slowly, and glanced at Graystripe.

"Um- what is it, then?" Frostfur meowed, puzzled.

Firestar blinked. "Wait," he spoke before Graystripe answered her. "Sandstorm," the tom paused, relishing her name on his tongue. "How long have Graystripe and I been... gone?"

Sandstorm exchanged a look with Longtail and finally replied, "Just about an hour. I assembled a patrol to come see where you were. You guys didn't get very far at all, you know."

Firestar stared at her in shock. But of course- no time has passed. He had been in the Second World for weeks and weeks, but time was measured differently there. Here, it was like they'd never gone. Like nothing had ever happened.

And immediately, Firestar knew he could never tell anyone what they'd gone through. Not only would no one believe him, but it was... just too painful to relive. He glanced at Graystripe, and his eyes said everything. His deputy nodded.

"There wasn't much prey about anyways," Firestar asserted, clearing his throat and gazing at all of them, eyes shining. He couldn't lie about how happy he was to see all of them. "How are you doing, Bramblepaw?" he meowed softly. He had almost forgotten about his apprentice... like he'd almost forgotten everything about this life. He shivered.

Bramblepaw's wide amber eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "I'm alright... but I'd kinda like to go hunting with you... if you don't mind."

Firestar shook his head. "I don't mind at all. After that we should have a Clan meeting... a feast, perhaps? No, that's too much... but tonight, things are going to be different. Better. I can't wait for tomorrow..." Firestar continued as they began walking back home.

"I thought you were _bored_ with being leader. What happened?" Longtail mewed suspiciously, tail flicking.

Firestar touched his tail to Graystripe's flank, then looked to his side to gaze at Sandstorm. His whiskers twitched in happiness as her green eyes swiveled to meet his. "Maybe... it's my new sense of purpose," he chuckled.  
He was only half-joking.

Frostfur glanced at Longtail, not sure whether to laugh, but Bramblepaw let out a purr, and Sandstorm laughed as she looked up at Firestar.

This time, Firestar saw himself reflected in those green eyes.

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**There it is. With the help of StarClan, he and Graystripe were able to destroy the Shadows for good. He was reunited with his true love, and all is well. Don't you think the poor guy deserves a happy ending? hehe  
Well my readers... this is the end. Thank you so much for everything, and I love all you guys in a total author-to-readers way =)  
I plan on publishing a new Warriors story fairly soon, so please check it out, b/c I'm gonna miss all you guys so much... :( It's been a lotta fun, and I love this story. Too bad Erin Hunter owns it, or else I'd publish it. Ah, darn you Erin Hunter!!! haha  
So see ya, and remember: REVIEW!!!!! :)**

**With all the authorly love in the world,  
~Sarafina Knowles  
**


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